Hearth founder Sarah Trotter talks home styling, restorations and IKEA bargains

Since founding interior architecture and design practice Hearth in 2012, Sarah Trotter has established herself as an industry leader for crafting​ quirky, welcoming spaces.

Trotter is also the director of Groupwork – a project-based collective aiming to “readdress the small things you do every day.” The group’s latest collection “Simplify” features a range of beautifully crafted bathroom products such as soap holders, towel racks and toilet paper dispensers– elements often overlooked in home design.

Joining us for a new Q+A Domain series, we find out what inspires Trotter’s home and work life.

What’s your favourite era for design and architecture?

I am working on an early Victorian house at the moment, and although it was our “boom” period here in Melbourne and they are a dime a dozen, this house has some incredible proportions and handsome shapes. It’s not as ornate as some of the other Victorian homes.

There are real gems in every era. I’m also enjoying the ’70s and ’80s Merchant Builders homes Melbourne has to offer with their exposed beams and bagged bricks. 

… And the worst era?

It might just be me, but the ’80s and ’90s “restorations” of Victorian homes are very funny with their 10 heritage colours in one room, hand-painted cornices and skirting with all of the trimmings. 

Parkview Avenue, Brunswick East. Photo: Lauren Bamford

What are the most common mistake homeowners make when furnishing and styling their homes?

I think there is a common tendency to have all of your storage low and all of your furniture pushed to the edges of the room. It’s a great idea to centralise and create zones.

I also think it’s useful to leave some walls free and fill others, especially at a high level, creating visual breaks. 

Minimalism or maximalism​?

As I have gotten older I have reduced the amount of things I own down to just what I need – I have become a minimalist. When I was studying and sharing a house with friends, most of the things I owned were shoved into one room and I was definitely not a minimalist then.

I admire creative spaces like Mirka Mora’s studio and Margaret Olley’s home where she painted, despite them being very “full” of objects. Perhaps I’ll revert one day!

Bell Street, Fitzroy. Photo: Christo Crocker​

What’s the most significant project you’ve worked on?

I think so far the most significant project I have completed is the Market Lane Coffee store in the Queen Victoria Market. It is such a special place to shop; I had shopped there for years before designing that store. Food, cooking and design are very linked for me.

I have three beautiful residential projects finishing at the end of this year that also feel significant. In fact, finishing any project feels so rewarding and significant! 

What’s one design trend you’re not a fan of?

Cold white paint colours; I think they make you feel cold to the bone, as well as cool white lighting. I think warm whites are flattering and seem so much more natural in a space. 

Parkview Avenue, Brunswick East. Photo: Lauren Bamford

What’s your favourite Australian suburb architecturally?

I studied for three years in Brisbane and used to love walking face-to-face with the steep hills of Great George Street in Paddington. The houses perch way above street level on stilts and the footpaths are terraced into the wild front yards that overgrow onto the road. It’s a sort of tropical architecture wonderland that I don’t think I fully appreciated when I lived there. 

I would never be caught…

Painting anything lime green. 

What item in your home did you splurge the most on?

I didn’t personally splurge on it, but my partner recently gave me a Rundell & Rundell handmade chair for my birthday. It will be a precious heirloom for us in the future I am sure. 

Barkly Street, Brunswick. Photo: Lauren Bamford

What’s been your biggest DIY disaster?

I wouldn’t call it a disaster, but we bought some beautiful Fred Ward timber dining chairs at auction and I started sanding them a couple of months ago and I’m [still] only about halfway through. It’s going to take some serious Christmas holiday time to get them all done. Sanding is very time consuming apparently … 

What’s your favourite IKEA item?

I love Ilse Crawford’s new range for IKEA, SINNERLIG; the daybed is great. I also like their STALL shoe storage drawers that a client found for their project in Fitzroy with limited space.