The Design Files: The perfectly imperfect Edwardian home of illustrator Paula Mills

Who: Pete and Paula Mills

Where: North Melbourne, Victoria

What: A red-brick Edwardian home

The North Melbourne home of illustrator Paula Mills, her husband Pete and their three teenage daughters, Lia, Rosie and Liberty, is a joy to be in. It’s a work in progress, but this home’s endearing imperfect-ness is part of its unique charm.

Colourful and eclectic, this house has a distinct aesthetic that speaks volumes about the creative family who live here.

The Mills family moved from semi-rural Warrandyte, to North Melbourne in 2016. Their previous home was perched on the edge of a nature reserve, surrounded by eucalyptus trees.

Weekends were spent on the tyre swing in the yard, or walking in local bushland. Suffice to say, the family’s new inner-city life is a little different.

“After many happy years of living in beautiful Warrandyte, we decided on a complete change,” Paula says. “With our three girls growing up, recognising their need for independence and wanting to embrace all that Melbourne has to offer, we set our plan to move in motion.”

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Like many parents, school zoning was a significant factor in Pete and Paula’s move. They researched, and selected a great high school, and started looking for a family-sized home in the zone. It wasn’t easy.

“We marched through pokey, little dark houses, clambered up and down stairs of modern town houses. Sighed over beautiful homes way out of our price range, and bumped shoulders with the throngs of eager buyers at live auctions,” Paula recalls.

One Saturday morning, just as the couple walked away from another auction they were unable to bid on, they discovered this red-brick Edwardian.

“Being on a busy corner, it was almost scratched from our inspection list, but as we stepped into the entranceway, the busyness of the city subsided,” Paula says. The high ceilings and grand proportions of this crumbling house were instantly appealing, and the family knew they’d found “the one”.

Before moving in, the pair undertook a few basic renovations. One internal wall in the kitchen was removed, opening up the living and dining zones, and all internal walls were painted off white. The family also installed wooden plantation shutters throughout, and a wood burner in the living room.

Above all else, the family have fallen in love with their new neighbourhood, and its super-close proximity to the city.

“North Melbourne is such a wonderful suburb with wide, tree-lined streets, all the amenities of inner-city living, but with a distinct village feel,” Paula says.

Their home is still a work in progress, but as Paula says “we plan to bring it back to its former glory, bit by bit … but, actually, I think it is rather glorious just as it is!”

The Design Files guide to upcycling

• Combining frugality and creativity, “upcycling” means repairing and improving, instead of throwing it away.
• Use water-based house paint to refresh timber furniture. Protect door handles using masking tape. Two or three coats are recommended.
• Old plant pots can also be painted – Dulux “Duramax” spray paint offers a one-product solution.
• Vintage wallpapers can be picked up on Ebay, Etsy and in op shops – collect contrasting colours and patterns, and frame in second-hand frames for an eclectic alternative to artwork.
• Before throwing anything away, ask yourself the question – what could this be used for? You’ll be amazed at how far a little creative thinking can go.