Warehouse Wonder

When fashion designer Lynda Newton and husband Paul first stumbled upon an old run down warehouse in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn East, it was not love at first sight. They agreed however, that they’d just discovered their next project and together with architect Gail Long of Stoll Long Architecture, they drew up plans to restore the motley old blind factory into an inviting, contemporary three bedroom home for their family.

As the designer of her own fashion company All For Kat, Lynda was of course well equipped with the skills and foresight in how to create a home using her eye for colour and texture, drawing on her experience in both interiors and product styling. A sophisticated and eclectic mix of furniture styles is the result of Lynda’s cleverly honed eye for detail in design.

Dark, poky offices and false ceilings were ripped out to expose original Oregon beams and trusses as well as allowing light to flood central living spaces. Using a monochromatic scheme as the foundation upon which the couple could layer their collection of vintage furniture and much-loved collection of art works, the dark floorboards and white walls effectively create a backdrop that is harmonious to the overall scheme.

All possible materials were salvaged during the gutting process and restored to an architectural detail in various areas throughout the home. A glass courtyard was designed to allow light to flow through the newly-designed open plan living areas as well as creating a sculptural element to the space, with three deciduous trees forming part of the interior landscape. A dark tiled pool and pool house are bound by tall hedging that wraps around the back walls of the garden and a herb garden with tomato trees are the healthy bi-product of the couple’s green thumb.

When we first met Lynda, she welcomed us into her home and we knew we’d found our warehouse home nirvana. Awe inspiring, elegant, über sophisticated and most importantly, homely. We couldn’t think of a more successful warehouse conversion. As the headquarters for All For Kat too, we couldn’t think of a more inspiring work space.

We couldn’t leave without asking Lynda to let us know if they ever felt like selling and moving onto another project…it’d be a crime not to ask!