In Elsternwick, a grand Victorian renovation starring a surprising colour palette

Colour plays a starring role in the renovation of this grand Victorian house, with a subtle but surprising palette that ranges from charcoal and mist grey through to soft powder blue and rich tobacco brown.

The house, in the leafy enclave of Elsternwick, is home to a young family who engaged renowned interior designer Fiona Lynch to update the property for the 21st century.

“The house … had been kept in its full Victorian state, with traditional Victorian colours, window furnishings and the like,” Lynch says.

“Our clients had a good eye – they realised the house had great potential, but needed new paint colours, flooring, window furnishings and furniture. Traditional Victorian colours can be oppressive – most people would want to do a whitewash, but the client was quite interested in investigating colour.”

The emphasis on colour is apparent as soon as the visitor steps through the ornate arched front door, with the formal reading room to the left painted in a calming clay tone and the combined office and study to the right swathed in a dramatic grey-brown shade.

In a subtle nod to the history of the building, each room is decorated with its own colour scheme, giving every space an atmosphere that is distinct from the rest of the dwelling, an approach that honours 19th-century decorating principles.

But the overall aesthetic is decidedly modern in tone, combining light oak flooring, an enviable selection of contemporary art and an impressive collection of 20th-century design classics by luminaries such as Charlotte Perriand, Hans Wegner and Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.

In keeping with her artistic approach to design, Lynch selected colours that enhance the play of light and shadow throughout the house, an effect that feels unexpected given the propensity for contemporary architecture to flood interiors with as much natural light as possible.

The moody ambience is further enhanced through the use of rich, luxurious materials.

In the dining room, for example, Lynch worked with, rather than against, the comparatively dark space, dressing the south-facing windows in sumptuous brown velvet drapes whose filaments refract the light as it falls through the glass.

Elsewhere, sheer, floor-length linen curtains act as a light filter, adding to the overall sense of privacy that the house conveys.

Further visual interest is injected into the house with occasional pops of jewel-bright colour, such as in the wall art, ceramics and sapphire blue sofa in the living space.