Personal Space: At home with comedian-turned-design enthusiast Tim Ross

Comedian, writer and TV presenter-turned-design nerd Tim Ross is obsessed with architecture and the way we live.

Ross has found a way to make it a new career after commercial radio had made him famous (yes, he was one half of Merrick and Rosso).

He lives in a mid-century home in Sydney with wife Michelle Glew and their sons Bugsy and Bobby. The Atherton home, built in 1959, is undergoing a kitchen renovation thanks to Owen Architecture, a Brisbane firm which ticked the philosophical and intellectual boxes for the design enthusiast.

The home is all high ceilings, plenty of glass for natural light, some panelling and stonewalls too. It’s filled with a mix of modern 20th century furniture, vintage finds and pieces he’s sourced from art dealers and auctions.

It’s been their family home for 15 years. “We’ve really taken our time doing this home; and working with Paul Owen has been a fantastic journey. The renovation is about bringing a new kitchen in without making it look like Happy Days,” Ross says.

Ross is big on nostalgia, loves collecting art, and presents Streets Of Your Town on the ABC.

A few of Tim’s favourite things:

Bang & Olufsen record player

I purchased this in Copenhagen in 2006. I was on a holiday with my wife Michelle at the time. She had a headache one afternoon and sent me up to the chemist to buy some Panadol. I got distracted by a vintage store full of Bang & Olufsen and bought this player and a radio instead.

I literally lost my mind because I had never seen anything like it. It doesn’t work at the moment, but I need my children to be a little older before the record player becomes part of our life again.

John Duffecy dining chair

I bought these chairs 10 years ago. They’re from a Sydney furniture maker who built custom-made pieces between the 1950s and ’70s. They’re beautifully made. We got them restored a few years into their life. They are lovely. I met John’s granddaughter through Instagram. He made furniture for well-heeled eastern suburbs people who had taste.

Painting of my sons Bugsy and Bobby 

We went to visit my friend Peter Holder one day and he was quite taken by the boys wearing their matching adidas tracksuits. Michelle was away interstate and it was Dad in charge – the boys wore the same tracksuit outfit four days straight. Peter is an amateur artist and quite prolific. He gave me this for my birthday this year.

There is something wonderful about having friends who can draw or make something for you – it’s so much more significant. It’s the personal intent that can’t be replicated. This is in our hallway.

West German tea cups

I was going through Mum’s cupboards one day and found these teacups. My parents owned a homewares store in Mount Eliza in the late 1960s and when it closed and the building was demolished to make a service station, they had some of the stock left over that they kept. These beautiful West German teacups also have a pot that goes with them.

Old storage jar

This jar sits in the tea cupboard where all teas go at home. They were always around when I was a kid and learnt that when my parents married, they lived above Dad’s family’s chemist store. Mum turned it into their flat.

These jars were from the pharmacy downstairs – some weird 1960s creams, I think. She washed them out and painted them with the colours of the day – the classic ’50s, early ’60s pink and green. I like having memories from the past. It represents my mother improvising and wanting to make the house look modern.

Michael Muir painting

I bought this from Sophie Gannon Gallery in Melbourne. I rang her and said I wanted to purchase it, but had no idea how big it was. I sometimes buy art at transitional times in my life and this was purchased when I had just lost my radio job and had nowhere to go immediately afterwards. It sits in our dining room and I look at it every day and love it.

Cassie Hansen pottery

I bought this beautiful pottery as a gift for my wife last year. It’s made by my friend Cassie, a writer who also makes pottery. She put them up on Instagram and I wanted something new and beautiful in our house.