The Design Files: Jana Kachel's creative family home in Sandringham

Who: Fashion and textile designer Jana Kachel, her husband Wade James and children Jack and Coco

Where: Sandringham, Victoria

What: Creative family home

The Sandringham home of textile and fashion designer Jana Kachel, her husband Wade James and their two children, Jack, 6, and Coco, 2, is an eclectic, colourful space that speaks to the many creative passions of the family that lives here.

The family moved here two years ago, and while they found no urgent need for structural changes, Kachel wasted no time in putting her distinctive stamp on the place.

Styling decisions have been informed primarily by her love of textiles and vintage furniture.

“I am obsessed with colour and print, and like to always change things around,” Kachel says.

The scatter cushions throughout the house, for instance, are on constant rotation.

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She makes the cushions, using fabrics sourced for her Kachel fashion range.

Kachel also enjoys the thrill of salvaging a roadside find, and has an impressive knack for uncovering and revamping salvaged furniture.

The dining setting is made up entirely of hard rubbish treasure and second-hand finds. “I like to find different things and put odd bits and pieces together to make them mine,” the designer says.

Home is very much a hub of creative expression for the Kachel/James family.

Coco’s bedroom has recently been made over with a custom-made wallpaper design featuring Kachel’s illustrations, while Jack’s bedroom features bespoke bedlinen designed and printed by Kachel, with Jack’s eager assistance.

“My little boy Jack is always super enthusiastic about any creative ventures in our house – you name it, he gives it a go,” she says.

For Kachel, this house has presented an opportunity to remember and re-imagine the happy memories of her childhood – and to cultivate some of that same magic for her family.

“I grew up in Park Orchards, with trees and garden everywhere – it really was organised chaos, with painting, sewing machines and collected items which Mum had found everywhere,” she recalls.

For Kachel and family, home is more than a place to rest and recharge. Equally, it’s a place for creativity.

Being surrounded by colour, textiles and handcrafted treasures at home informs Kachel’s design ideas – and in turn, nurtures her children’s burgeoning creativity.

The Design Files guide to styling with textiles

This is the easiest way to refresh an interior seasonally, without committing to permanent updates. Soft furnishings, from curtains to rugs, cushions and blankets, offer the quickest way to make a big impact.

• Start with curtains as your base layer – we like weighty, generous drapes. Try natural linen in off-white, oatmeal, or shades of grey to suit a variety of interiors.
• Nothing transforms a room quite like a floor rug – adding this extra layer of texture softens a space.
• Be generous with scatter cushions and throw rugs – the more the merrier.
• Consider variations in texture. Chunky knits and faux fur add warmth.