'Wow, I didn't expect that': Inside a showstopper Brunswick home full of colourful surprises

• Who: Sommer Hampson and John Mieog, and their children Nico, 5 and Valentine, 2
• Address: 223 Victoria Street, Brunswick, Victoria
• Type of property: A period duplex transformed into a fabulous, colourful, totally original family home
• Price: $1.3 million-$1.38 million

There are renovations and then there are revolutions. It’s not pushing the needle too far into the red to say that this home, while humble, honest and unremarkable at first glance, is, upon further investigation, a veritable mutiny against mundanity. 

When Sommer Hampson and John Mieog first moved in to their Brunswick home, they weren’t sure if they were going to get married or have kids. Twelve years later, happily hitched and with a growing family, they are heading for roomier pastures, leaving behind their glorious calling card of colour.

“We are so proud of this house,” Hampson says.  “It’s chock-full of memories – pretty much everything here has a story.”  

The original Victorian-era exterior was remade in the “Mediterranean idiom”, a reference to postwar immigrants removing decorative elements and replacing them with render, paint and tiling. 

While less overtly embellished, the blank facade nevertheless offered elements – subtle terrazzo tones, wrought-iron guards – that inspired parts of the fabulous reimagining.

“We didn’t want to do anything to the front, so coming inside is a surprise,” Hampson says. “When people walk in, the first thing they usually say is, ‘Wow!  I didn’t expect that.’ ”

Indeed, you don’t expect to see a gorgeous run of minty-green floorboards or apricot in orbit around the doors of the bedrooms.

“I just love colour,” Hampson says, describing her delight in the green hallway floorboards. “You open the door and it’s like you could dive into the pool.” 

Such whimsy isn’t achieved by accident exactly, but created through a willingness to experiment alongside a homemade, how-to aesthetic.

That green hallway floor is a prime example. Having a massive amount of sample paint pots for all the mixing, matching and melding of their ideas, the couple decided to blend them – resulting in that turquoise-toned lap pool that masquerades as a passage.

“I’m the ideas person. John is the maker. He’s measured and considered. I’m more about the whim and the energy, then he makes it work,” Hampson says.

You might think that’s a combination headed for design disaster. Instead, seamless collaboration ensued.

“Neither of us really stood our ground on anything and said, ‘No, I don’t want that.’  We agreed on everything,” Hampson says.  “I mean, never in a million years did I think we’d agree on pink stairs.”

We’ll get to those beauties soon, but first another pinky wonder.

Set around the original light-rose-toned bath and terrazzo floor, the bathroom feels like the glowing heart in the middle of the home. 

A large side window almost matches the mirror in dimension, both allowing light to bounce off the luminous surfaces. The tapware is a yolky yellow against the floor-to-ceiling dusky hue.

“I think it’s a grown-up pink,” Hampson says. “It’s deeper, more mature.” 

Indeed, it’s playful and unexpected but there’s a sort of conscious panache that confers a more layered appeal, that’s both knowing and huge fun.

For us though, the Yves Klein-blue wrought-iron balustrade against the more fairy-floss pink of the stairs is the show-stopper in a house full of them.

The almost electric vibe is brilliant.  “Oh, it took forever to get right – understanding colour is a process,” Hampson says. It was worth every second spent.  

That winsome fairy-floss staircase leads to the wonderful main bedroom tucked into the roofline alongside its warm, stylish en suite. 

This level, a haven during renovations and a handy home office in lockdown, dials down the colour to signal repose and respite.

Back downstairs the kitchen’s original green-toned terrazzo floors are timelessly appealing, while the handmade utilitarian beauty of the chrome, American oak and terrazzo island bench is close to tonal perfection. 

A mix of steely grey-blue tones on the cabinetry runs to a lowered bulkhead over the dining area. 

“With all the light from the north-facing backyard, we thought the area could hold the dark colour,” Hampson says.  

The backyard, with its lush, tropical feel, and the living room – a gorgeous snug off the kitchen, hiding the TV (which just feels right in a place like this) – are two of Hampson’s favourite things.  

SOLD - $1,655,000

223 Victoria Street, Brunswick VIC 3056

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Musing on moving and leaving their colourful compound behind, Hampson says whoever takes on the Brunswick beauty next can leave their own mark: “Colour is what you make it; you can change it, it’s easy to strip back and put your spin on it.” 

Just like this family of change-makers so boldly and beautifully has done.