Offspring: Welcome to Nina Proudman's new house

 She’s one of Australia’s most relatable TV characters, but Nina Proudman’s home has always been an enviable backdrop to her life.

While the country has braced through Offspring’s plot twists and – often tragic – turns, the beautiful boho home life of Asher Keddie’s Gold Logie-winning character has been a comfort.

Her Fitzroy loft, the real-life home of Melbourne-based artist Adriane Strampp, garnered somewhat of a cult following for its industrial chic in recent years.

But this season, the playing field has changed: Nina has a two-and-a-half year old daughter and things need to be “kidproofed”. Gone are the towering staircases and peeling paint, and in their place, kids’ artwork and toys.

“I don’t think I can stress enough just how important it was to get this right,” says Offspring’s locations manager Nicci Dillon. “Nina’s past homes have been so beautiful and so much a reflection of who she is that this had to be exactly right.”

Determined to keep her in the “hood” of Fitzroy, the location department looked at dozens of inner-Melbourne houses before they found the cute single-fronted weatherboard Victorian.

The home was graciously lent to them by Melbourne stylist and interior designer Kali Cavanagh. Known for her minimalism, Cavanagh’s concrete floors, timber panels and steel doors created the perfect blank canvas for the design team.

Cavanagh moved out of the home during shooting periods, letting the show “bump in” with colour and clutter, including mismatched furniture, original Australian artworks, kid mess and an array of indoor plants.

“Her new house had to not just be believable to viewers but warm, textured and layered, very much reflective of the person she is and a real home for her and her daughter,” says Dillon.

“We also had to make it somewhere you would believe she would leave her other beautiful home for.”

The space is equally as striking as her previous pad: a massive, light-filled living area with exposed beams, a glass wall looking out to the courtyard, a kitchen with natural timber cabinetry and concrete benches.

Production designer Carrie Kennedy says Nina’s homes had to evolve with her character, describing her current style as ‘vintage ethnic’ or ‘eclectic boho’.

“This season, Nina has become more earthy in tones, so we have added lots of greenery and indoor plants with accents of colour and artworks,” says Kennedy.

It’s little surprise to viewers that the hipster haven of Fitzroy continues to stand out as its own character in the show.

Kennedy and the design team sourced many items locally, including vintage furniture shops like Waverley Antiques or Nook Vintage in Fitzroy.

“The Proudmans are a crazy eclectic bunch of people, with different personalities. So it makes sense that they would be in a suburb with the energy of Fitzroy, where there’s such a mix of people,” says Kennedy.

Both Kennedy and Dillon both stress part of the Nina’s charm is not being too perfect and her surroundings have to reflect that too.

“It is easy to get sucked in by making every frame look ‘art directed and beautiful’ and with no mess,” says Kennedy.

She says piles of newspapers, medical journals, kids books, laundry baskets and even the occasional dead plant made up the final picture, while realism was considered down to the smallest detail.

“No overflowing fruit bowls; instead, a bowl with half a banana, and an avocado is more realistic,” she says. “Couches and cushions which have been sat in and are not always looking perfect.”

Dillon says even the front door of the cottage was made to look weathered, with a panel missing from the lattice work on the verandah.

“We see so much of [Nina] in her own world, talking to herself, and her house is always part of that,” adds Kennedy. She’s constantly evolving as her houses do.”

Eight tips to live like Nina

• Spend up on indoor plants and distribute them at different levels in the home – hanging baskets and shelves can add interest to a blank wall.
• Buy artwork or simple frames and hang in them clusters or spread them out like a cloud. Alternatively, invest in one large statement piece.
• Artwork doesn’t have to be expensive. Galleries can be welcoming places and often artists have their own websites, so you can buy direct from them.
• Don’t hang artworks on pre-existing hooks. Make sure they are hung at the correct level for optimum viewing. Your eyeline should be at the centre of the work.
• Start with a neutral base and add the colour in small doses through cushions or rugs or throws.
• Add colour by painting a small wall with a strong accent colour. Balance the colour through smaller pieces of furniture or artworks.
• Ebay or vintage shops are great places to find unique pieces of furniture.
• Don’t be afraid to mismatch dining chairs and even consider painting just one an odd colour.

Offspring plays on Wednesdays 8.30pm on TEN