How The Wrong Girl got its home and street style right

With its bearded baristas and scenes down laneways, Australia’s latest drama The Wrong Girl is unapologetically Melbourne.

From the opening scene, where Jessica Marais’ character, Lily, runs down a cobbled street in sneakers — only to struggle to tap on her myki — there’s no doubt the show is a perfectly curated snapshot of casual inner-Melbourne chic.

Although the original book by Zoë Foster Blake was set in Sydney, the series makes a deliberate choice to tap into the seemingly-effortless-but-actually-incredibly-put-together aesthetic the city does so well.

It’s a look we’ve seen before; from Offspring to The Secret Life of Us, the inner-Melbourne vibe is clearly a style producers think is worth emulating on the silver screen.

But away from the more obvious neighbourhoods of Fitzroy and St Kilda — the locations of Channel 10’s other hit Aussie dramas — The Wrong Girl stands out as a new version of Melbourne cool.

For one thing, the dorky-yet-gorgeous heroine Lily Woodward lives in Yarraville — a lesser-known hipster enclave in the inner west.

“Right from the start, we were keen to set the show in the west,” says locations manager John Greene.

“Yarraville’s architecture, proximity to the CBD and slight bohemian feel made it the ideal choice for Lily’s world away from work. There is a relaxed, open and vibrant community feel in the suburb that suited her character’s disposition.”

It took several weeks to scout locations, Greene says, including endless discussions with real estate agents and property owners.

“We considered over 50 locations before a decision was made,” he says. “The production team felt that Lily should live right on the edge of the shopping area so that the audience basically had a lineal link to Yarraville village.

“Lily’s home plays a large role in the first series and is an integral location for the day to day interaction between her and [her housemate] Simone. It is where a lot of the story twists unfold, develop and finish.”

The girls’ home was actually a former shop, set a few streets back from the main Yarraville shopping strip, according to set designer Paul Heath.

“It’s ideally placed in terms of positioning our show’s geography: the funky inner west of Melbourne,” Heath says.

He says the team had fun creating Lily’s eclectic look, introducing elements of Parisian chic with strong botanical prints on fabrics and artwork. They added touches of old-school Hollywood glamour by sourcing gilt mirrors and vintage wall sconces.

“Lily’s interior look is a combination of both the girls’ taste. We knew that indoor plants were absolutely ‘back’ and wanted to push that,” he says. “In the end the interior is a fun stylish mix yet real at the same time, a bit like Yarraville.”

After the show’s premier last Wednesday, Lily’s home style became a subject on Twitter, with viewers immediately zoning in on details like bedding.

For those still wondering: the duvet set is from Linen House. Lily’s upholstered bedroom chair was sourced from Canvas+Sasson, while much of the floral artwork and botanical soft furnishings came from Melbourne studio Bonnie and Neil.

Footy fans might even notice a framed Western Bulldogs guernsey in Pete’s house, which he shares with his dad.

“I thought it might be a good omen. It worked,” Heath says, referring to the team’s recent AFL win.

Alongside the recent football successs, The Wrong Girl continues to lift the profile of Melbourne’s western suburbs; something the show’s creators were extremely conscious of.

“Being a former westie, and knowing the village well, I’d suggest Yarraville, and Seddon, have certainly arrived,” says Heath.

Greene also is no stranger to the west of Melbourne. In 1993 he used Williamstown as a base for Blue Heelers and he says he and the crew were welcomed with opened arms by the community both times.

“There is no doubt that filming has a positive cultural and economic impact on local communities,” he says. “I hope that the western suburbs continues to benefit for many years.”

The Wrong Girl airs Wednesdays on Channel 10 at 8.30pm.