'We love it here now': Inside MasterChef judge and chef Andy Allen's cool Carlton home

When MasterChef judge and chef Andy Allen was looking to make a permanent move to Melbourne with his wife, Alex, the inner north was always on the menu. They decided to settle down in Carlton, one of the city’s top foodie hotspots.

“I’ve always loved the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne. From when I first visited Carlton, the inner north really appealed  … it was a no-brainer to look in that area to live,” Allen says.

“I had been doing long distance with Alex, who was based interstate for a year-and-a-half, and it was only when COVID hit that we were really forced to move here full-time. That was probably the only silver lining of the pandemic.

“It forced Alex and I to make our relationship as good as it could be and be in the same city together. We love it here now; Melbourne is home,” Allen says.  

Their townhouse, built four years ago, offers everything the couple were looking for and more: an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, an abundance of natural light, spare bedrooms for visiting family and a home office.

But, the cherry on top of the three-level cake is the private rooftop with views across the CBD.

“It’s the perfect hidden entertaining area, and it’s where we always end up after a lunch or dinner,” Allen says. We get beautiful views of the city, the sun sets in the west, and the skyline lights up with stars – it is an amazing spot.

“We also love the open kitchen, dining and living area. It’s ideal for entertaining, which we love to do. I cook five meals a week at home, and we also like to have friends over; having the space to do that means you don’t have to think twice about inviting guests.”

Unsurprisingly, the kitchen is the hub of the home, and the granite benchtop is more of a workstation than a breakfast pit stop.

A pastel blue La Marzocco coffee machine gets a mighty workout every day, while a Vintec wine fridge in the corner of the kitchen is well stocked – in particular, with many natural orange wines from Sicily. 

A gift from his late friend Jock Zonfrillo also sits proudly on display here. 

“Jock gave me the timber knife display; it’s really beautifully made,” Allen says. It’s a real showpiece in my kitchen and a great functional gift.”

A custom dining table manufactured in Melbourne takes pride of place in the dining zone. Made from recycled timber salvaged from below deck at Sydney’s Circular Quay, it’s been repurposed into an eight-seat stunner. 

“We couldn’t find a dining table that worked to our taste, so it made sense to have it made to suit our needs,” Allen says.

The chef’s “second kitchen” is out on the north-facing balcony, where a pizza oven is used for whipping up midweek meals. “I know it looks small, but I cook in this thing all the time.”

Back inside, off the balcony, the living area makes a dramatic statement thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows and sheer curtains.

“Another huge part of why we love this place is the high ceilings and the beautiful big windows that let in so much natural light,” Allen says.

The six-seat modular couch is Allen’s favourite spot for unwinding after a busy week, with a beer in hand and the footy on television.

“When we moved down here, we started with a blank canvas,” he says. “We brought some of our special items with us from our Bondi apartment, but we kept it open to buying a lot of new items specifically for this house.

“It was a nice process firstly to fit out from scratch, but then go through the things we brought to Melbourne. It was a nice reminder why you keep the things you do and your connection to them.”

Warm timber panelling and Besser Block brickwork act as the perfect canvas for the couple to showcase their growing collection of artwork, while track lighting on the ceiling shines the spotlight.

“It was definitely important for Alex and I to add artwork to the walls in the lounge room,” Allen says. “We fell in love with the works of Jakey Pedro and it was a no-brainer to put a statement piece of his on the wall.” 

The Pedro artwork was the first the couple bought to celebrate their first Christmas in Melbourne. Its pastel tones of pink, blue and yellow pop against the cool grey of the Besser Blocks. 

“Jakey makes a lot of contemporary art with beautiful colours,” Allen says. “We love the playfulness his work brings to the room because the bricks are quite harsh.”

While the couple now call Melbourne home, a beachy, laidback aesthetic is still present: a piece by beach and surf photographer Eugene Tan capturing an aerial shot of Whitehaven Beach, positioned above the bar area, is a nod to Alex’s Queensland family roots; and a scenic print in the kitchen captures their time in Cefalu, Sicily, in 2019.

The home is accented with many purchases from abroad, including vases and plenty of books, but it also features a mix of found objects, too, such as a trunk sitting in the dining area rescued and restored by Alex, painted in a cool spearmint green and gifted to Allen one Christmas. Above this sits a framed print of Ortiz anchovies, which happens to be their favourite food. 

Though the couple align on many of the design choices throughout the home, there is one piece that Allen is still warming to.

“Alex’s parents surprised her with an original print [of a young white owl] by visual artist Leila Jeffreys and it’s now overlooking our dining table,” Allen says. 

“Alex loves the baby owl. I’m … still trying to be convinced.”

This interview and accompanying video was completed before the death of Allen’s MasterChef colleague, Jock Zonfrillo.