A colourful 1970s-inspired makeover of a historic Caringal Flats apartment

• Who: Writer and Domain columnist Pauline Morrissey, and Kieran Morrissey
• What: A retro revival of a mid-century Melbourne apartment
• Where: Toorak, Victoria

Kieran and Pauline Morrissey are “serial movers” who have lived everywhere from Sydney apartments to London share houses, and even in a motorhome while travelling the U.S.

The writer and her husband bought this apartment in 2023 following a stint living in the Northern Rivers region of the NSW North Coast.

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“During this time, I successfully reacquired my Philippines citizenship, inspiring future plans to divide our time between Australia and island living in the Philippines,” Pauline says. “This new goal motivated us to downsize and shift back to the city.

“Long-term, space wasn’t our priority, but location and character were.”

Pauline and Kieran’s Melbourne and Sydney-wide search for a lock-and-leave-style apartment concluded in Toorak, Melbourne, where they discovered a property for sale in Caringal Flats – an early modernist building designed in 1948 by architect John William Rivett.

The apartment complex has been heritage-protected since 1982 and underwent a significant exterior makeover in 2022 to restore its original coral paint colour.

Pauline and Kieran have made their apartment their own with some cosmetic alterations including painting the walls, replacing vinyl flooring with retro green carpet, removing dated light fittings, installing floor-to-ceiling sheer linen curtains, and adding a double-sided joinery unit as a new room divider.

Except for the new joinery, these DIY updates were completed by Pauline and Kieran in just 10 days.

“We ran a really tight ship during this short window,” Pauline recalls. “First, we removed the old room divider, wardrobe, and vinyl floors. Then, we cleaned the entire place and painted all the walls.

“Just as the paint had dried, our new carpet was installed, followed by replacing all light fittings.”

The renovations have instilled the home with a 1970s feeling that champions bold colour, relaxed shapes, and Pauline’s desire to not take things too seriously.

Next, the couple plan to tackle renovating the kitchen and bathroom.

‘We take great pride in achieving so much within a tight time frame and budget, representing those who grind their way through the ‘yourself’ part of the term DIY, without the luxury of architects, interior designers, or nearby families to help tackle jobs or chip in with budgets,” Pauline says.

This small but mighty home supports the Morrissey’s lifestyle, allowing them to travel as desired while living in a sought-after location.

“Our home is super-comfortable and practical – size limitations be damned,” Pauline says.

“I also find it amusing that our one-bedroom apartment is surrounded by all these Toorak mansions. We share the same wide, leafy, and quiet streets as the property directly next door, which sold for $88 million.”

How to colour block at home

Colour blocking can be somewhat anti-intuitive. We tend to be far more comfortable bringing together tones of a similar palette than combining contrasting colours. But pairing distinct colours together in one, confident swoop lends power and impact to any interior – and enables you to do more, with less.

• Start with what you have – a favourite chair or a key colour in an artwork can inform your selections for the rest of the room.
• Avoid colours from a similar palette or family. Instead, seek out contrasting colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel, for a high contrast and high impact colour combination. (Try the online tool at canva.com/colors/color-wheel)
• Colour isn’t just for the walls! If your walls are white, consider adding vibrant colour via a bold carpet or rug, painted cabinetry, internal doors, feature lighting or artwork.