The Design Files: Created by family, for family at this Reservoir renovation

Who: Flautist Elissa Robustelli and Matt Sheers, a violinist and manager of Natural Habitat Studios

What: A home created by family, for family

Where: Reservoir, Melbourne

Almost everyone in flute teacher Elissa Robustelli’s family has played a part in creating the Reservoir home which she shares with her partner Matt Sheers, a violinist and manager of Natural Habitat Studios.

Elissa’s parents bought the original home on the site in the 1990s for her nonna and nonno, so they could live down the street from their extended family. When Nonno passed away, the family decided to subdivide and build two townhouses on the block for Elissa and her brother.

The original house was demolished, except for the stumps and a few walls, but many materials were salvaged for the building of two almost-new residences by Elissa’s dad.

“I am so fortunate that my parents were in a position to financially help us with the build,” Elissa says.

Her uncle Paul, who is a carpenter, also helped with the build and sourcing timber from the factory he worked at that was coincidentally closing.

“They were getting rid of all of their floor stock, so naturally we took as much as we needed,” Elissa says.

“Every door in our house is a solid timber ‘front’ door that has slightly different timber panelling. Even our window sizes were determined by what floor stock was left, so there are some cute tiny windows juxtaposed with huge timber sliding doors.”

Elissa had full creative control over the home’s interiors, putting her heart and soul into their design to ensure their longevity.

Terrazzo floors were at the top of her wish list, as well as a music room with the perfect display shelves.

“I was very stubborn with how I wanted the shelves and doors to turn out, and didn’t take no for an answer!” Elissa says. ‘Between my dad and the cabinet makers at Verna, it took them a few months to get it supported in the right way and tick all of my design boxes.”

Tying in with the “family” theme is much of the furniture, including key heirlooms bought by Elissa’s parents on their Italian honeymoon in 1978.

Elissa’s parents shipped the furniture back to their Melbourne home, where it’s lived ever since – until Elissa “begged” them for the dining suite, bed and red lounge.

“Although Mum was very reluctant to part with them, Dad freely gave them knowing these pieces will live and be loved by another generation,” she says.

Elissa has always lived in Reservoir and says living in a local home crafted with such care by those she loves fills her with pride.

“I will cherish every tiny little corner of this house forever.”

How to style a bookshelf

Open shelving offers so many great opportunities for styling and personalising a room. Consider these tips to optimise your “shelfie”.

• If you are looking to display a combination of books and objects, start with the books. Group your library into clusters of 10-20 books, and distribute these across your shelves evenly.
• Books can be stacked both vertically and horizontally – change it up.
• Once books are in place, distribute decorative pieces such as vases, ceramics and plants throughout the remaining spaces.
• Be sure to leave negative space between your clusters – you may need book ends or strategically placed weighty objects to make this work.
• Try to avoid displaying one-off items. Instead, seek to repeat materials and textures across the shelves for a cohesive look, For instance, if you have one indoor plant, try and find two other plants to display too, creating a feeling of repetition across the shelves.
• Lamps look great on open shelves, but wires can easily look messy. Look for battery-operated small lamps that you can charge sporadically and display without wires. Try hayshop.com.au for some great options.