My Houzz: A Historic Apartment Becomes the Perfect Sharing Ground
Illustrator Annie Davidson and her three housemates learn to share in a sublime loft apartment in Kew's historical Willsmere Estate
For some of us, share-house living involves small spaces, arguing about whose turn it is to do the cleaning and seeking refuge from the visiting crowds in your bedroom. However, Annie Davidson, Jessica Hinkins, Rebekah Page and Lisa Rayment prove that creating beautiful and friendly sharing quarters isn’t as hard as you may think.
The four young women found their loft-style apartment in 2015 in Kew’s historical Willsmere estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital. They were seeking a unique share house and knew immediately this was the one for them. The high ceilings, exposed brick and creative residents make this a special place to live.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Annie Davidson, 28, Jessica Hinkins, 27, Rebekah Page, 27, and Lisa Rayment, 26.
Where: Kew, Victoria
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
The four young women found their loft-style apartment in 2015 in Kew’s historical Willsmere estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital. They were seeking a unique share house and knew immediately this was the one for them. The high ceilings, exposed brick and creative residents make this a special place to live.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Annie Davidson, 28, Jessica Hinkins, 27, Rebekah Page, 27, and Lisa Rayment, 26.
Where: Kew, Victoria
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Davidson and Hinkins were the first to decide to move out together, and began the search. After inspecting some very uninspiring rentals, they came across what would become their new home in Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs. The apartment had three standard bedrooms, and an attic bedroom accessible by a pull-down ladder, as well as a huge open living space and a further mezzanine lounge area. With all this extra room, they decided to invite their other two friends, Rayment and Page, to also move in.
The historical Willsmere estate was built in the 1860s, high on a hill in leafy Kew overlooking Yarra Bend Park. Despite being designed and built for use as a psychiatric hospital for over 100 years before being decommissioned in the 1980s, the estate was sensitively designed with lots of outdoor spaces and gardens. This made it a perfect candidate for residential development in the ‘90s.
The heritage-listed building is built on 10 hectares of leafy gardens, and boasts 285 apartments and townhouses. The estate also includes an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, bowling green, gym, BBQ areas, a library and a function room.
The heritage-listed building is built on 10 hectares of leafy gardens, and boasts 285 apartments and townhouses. The estate also includes an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, bowling green, gym, BBQ areas, a library and a function room.
The decor is a mix of old and new; Davidson says that their style is loosely bohemian. The Turkish rug, coffee table, kitchen table, and sofas were all hand-me-down pieces given to the housemates by their families, which have been combined with more contemporary bargains picked up from Bunnings or Ikea.
“The apartment was a blank canvas when we moved in,” says Davidson. “As it’s a rental property we didn’t change anything, just brought in all our furniture and moved things around until it looked right. The house is 150 metres from the car park, and up a flight of stairs, so it was a big effort getting everything in, but we had the help of various friends and family members.”
The arrangement of the furniture under the mezzanine creates a cosy lounge area within the vast open space of the apartment. The mezzanine itself does not get a lot of use, but is a nice little area to escape to if any of the girls are after a bit of quiet time on their own.
The housemates worked together to find the right spots for each piece they lugged to their apartment. Similar to many share houses, the decoration process involved getting creative and making the most of what they had. However, they do have a wishlist of pieces they want to add to their home, including some handmade pieces from Mark Tuckey and some pendant lights to hang over the dining table.
The large open-plan living space leads to the kitchen through an original brickwork archway; this is where the housemates enjoy whipping up healthy drinks and sweets. “We all spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen,” explains Davidson. “The NutriBullet gets a good workout, with lots of smoothies and raw desserts being made, and the huge oven is awesome for parties and entertaining.”
The crockery on display is another example of how the girls’ styles mixed seamlessly. “I had a few small pastel teacups from my great grandma, and Jess realised that she also had a few of the same in different colours from her great grandma,” says Rayment. “So we combined them!”
As a freelance illustrator, Annie works from home, and although her main workspace is in her bedroom, she also has a separate desk in the main living area to take advantage of the natural light. Her beautiful framed illustrations are hung throughout the apartment, including these two pieces at her desk.
Another one of Davidson’s additions to the home is the hammock chair, which is also her favourite spot for reading. “It was my most recent purchase and together with the plants really sums up the bohemian-ish look we want to create,” Davidson says.
The strong structural beams are perfect for suspending the chair. The beams also come in handy for the metres of fairy lights hung throughout the apartment, which create a soft glow in the evening.
The strong structural beams are perfect for suspending the chair. The beams also come in handy for the metres of fairy lights hung throughout the apartment, which create a soft glow in the evening.
Indoor plants are a big part of the home’s decor. Together, they have collected nearly 50 plants that they have spread throughout the apartment, which contrast nicely against the polished concrete and exposed brick.
The original windows on either side of the apartment swivel open horizontally to let cool cross-breezes float through the space on warm days. Due to the solid structure of the external walls, the apartment stays fairly cool in the first few days of a heatwave, but the high ceilings create a heating issue in winter. The one heating vent is not really enough to fill the expansive space, and Davidson says that extra blankets are definitely required.
Hammock: Ivory & Deene; plants: Dragonfly
The original windows on either side of the apartment swivel open horizontally to let cool cross-breezes float through the space on warm days. Due to the solid structure of the external walls, the apartment stays fairly cool in the first few days of a heatwave, but the high ceilings create a heating issue in winter. The one heating vent is not really enough to fill the expansive space, and Davidson says that extra blankets are definitely required.
Hammock: Ivory & Deene; plants: Dragonfly
The windows also offer beautiful views of the surrounding leafy suburb. The Willsmere estate is close to the cycling and running paths of the beautiful Yarra Bend Park, which is a natural oasis winding through the Kew area down towards trendy, inner-city Collingwood. Davidson regularly rides her bike down to meet friends at the charming cafes nearby.
The apartment is very social, with the young women often having friends and interstate relatives visiting. Davidson says that summer is a popular time of year when they make the most of the estate’s facilities. “We’ve had a few really fun parties here, and planning them together makes it even more fun,” says Davidson. “We had a big Christmas party last year, which included a snow machine up on the mezzanine ‘snowing’ over the dance floor below. We easily fit 120 people into the space without it feeling cramped. We also had New Year’s here, as we have a park right next door to our property with the best views over the city and fireworks.”
As with many share houses, everyone has different schedules, but the girls make an effort to catch up regularly. “We eat pancakes together, or have nachos by the pool, go for walks along the river, shoot hoops, have a hit of tennis, or go for a walk along the river,” Davidson says. “We also often end the day with a quick dance sesh before bed, which is pretty random, but great!”
As with many share houses, everyone has different schedules, but the girls make an effort to catch up regularly. “We eat pancakes together, or have nachos by the pool, go for walks along the river, shoot hoops, have a hit of tennis, or go for a walk along the river,” Davidson says. “We also often end the day with a quick dance sesh before bed, which is pretty random, but great!”
The bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry and kitchen form an L-shape around the outer perimeter of the apartment, leaving the large open living space as the central feature for the girls to use as a communal area.
“Our bedrooms are our little retreats,” says Davidson, whose bedroom doubles as her illustration studio.
Circus Tassel Cushion: Mark Tuckey for Cotton On
Circus Tassel Cushion: Mark Tuckey for Cotton On
One of Davidson’s own illustrations hangs over her bedside table, along with quirky terrariums, which feature in many of her drawings.
Page’s bedroom is beside Davidson’s, and features an original window that lets in gentle breezes and natural light, as well as beautiful views to the Willsmere grounds.
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Hinkins’ bedroom features a continuation of the exposed brick arch that runs from one side of the apartment to the other. Tucked behind this wall is a closet space and ensuite bathroom.
She has creatively used the alcove space as an Instagram feature wall of her favourite shots.
Rayment’s attic loft space is only accessible by a pull-down ladder. “I’m so used to going up and down the ladder, it really isn’t an issue for me,” she laughs. While the space doesn’t have room for a proper bed, a double mattress perfectly fits under the angled ceiling.
As the attic space was not specifically set up as a bedroom, Rayment has used her creativity to come up with ways to add storage to the room. One innovative idea was turning the bannister into storage for her jewellery collection.
The apartment is located in the middle of the tower of one of the main estate buildings, with another penthouse apartment above theirs. “It has a very English feel to it,” Davidson says of the extensive Willsmere estate.
TELL US
What do you like about this lofty share house? Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you like about this lofty share house? Let us know in the Comments section.