Houzz Tours
My Houzz: A Family Home That Ticks All The Boxes
Building their dream home from scratch allowed this Melbourne family to create the perfect place to grow
Over the course of their relationship, Prue and Tom Walstab had lived in four homes together. Then in 2009, they decided they were ready to settle into their ‘20-year house’, a place where their kids could grow up and which they could customise completely to check everything off their wish list. For car-enthusiast Tom, a large garage and a home overlooking a park were priorities, while for Prue her dreams were all about space, storage, and being in walking distance to the kids’ school. As they searched for land, or a knock-down-rebuild property, the couple were lucky enough to find a vacant block with a tiny ‘For Sale’ sign on it. The block even backed onto a golf course, which ticked all the boxes for what would become the Walstab’s new home.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Prue and Tom Walstab, with their children Max, 12, and Mimi, 9
Where: Brighton East, Victoria
Size: 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Prue and Tom Walstab, with their children Max, 12, and Mimi, 9
Where: Brighton East, Victoria
Size: 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms
“We wanted to build our ‘20-year’ house,” says Prue. “Our house has been built to fit our family, and hopefully when we are done it will perfectly fit the next family. I believe it will evolve with us without any trouble,” she adds. “In fact, I can see us needing to kick our adult children out in years to come, as we may have made it too perfect!”
The formal lounge room is at the front of the house, and is the perfect blend of masculine and feminine. Black accents and a Chesterfield couch are balanced by a feminine chandelier and accessories. “Although I love girly things, I tend to not be too girly for my husband’s sake” laments Prue. “He, like all men, hates cushions, so I don’t have as many as I would like.”
‘Swallow’ wallpaper: Sanderson
‘Swallow’ wallpaper: Sanderson
The duck-egg blue armchairs were picked up in a Coco Republic sale. “I love a bargain!” says Prue. “And I love a find that looks more expensive than it really is.”
The wooden cross was a gift from one of Prue’s close friends. “My decorating style is really about things I love,” she explains. “I have a belief that if I fill a room with things I love, then I will love the room. Somehow all the pieces seem to come together.”
Prue’s office space for her graphic design business, Gigi And Lulu, is tucked into the bay window of the formal lounge room. “My office is where I spend the most time, so it is warm and inviting,” she says. “It has space for casual meetings and I love sitting in the window all day watching the world go by.”
Prue’s love of bargains also paid off when she found this desk for $5 on eBay. She then had it professionally painted with a high-gloss finish for a lustrous look.
Prue’s love of bargains also paid off when she found this desk for $5 on eBay. She then had it professionally painted with a high-gloss finish for a lustrous look.
The master bedroom is another compromise of masculine and feminine decor. “I don’t think it’s fair to ask Tom to sleep in a pink bedroom,” says Prue, “so I save my girly urges for Mimi’s room.” The couple counts the big Heatherly bed, with it’s tufted upholstered bedhead, as a worthwhile investment.
Behind the partition wall is Tom’s closet, while Prue has a separate walk-in robe off to the right side of the room.
Behind the partition wall is Tom’s closet, while Prue has a separate walk-in robe off to the right side of the room.
The partition wall features beautiful textured, paintable wallpaper by Graham & Brown. This was originally white, but the couple painted it black at the start of this year to create a more dramatic statement.
In the master ensuite, practicality took priority. “A lot of people are currently choosing nice floating vanities,” says Prue, “but I really wanted storage that went all the way down to the floor, so I had nice big drawers so that I could have all my ‘lotions and potions’ standing up rather than lying down.”
The kids also have their own space devoted to them on the ground floor of the house. “I knew from the start that I wanted an office for the kids,” Prue explains. “Somewhere that they could study, do crafts and music lessons. This space is a hub of activity. There is always a kid in here – and not always one of my kids!”
Hung on the wall above the double desk in the kids’ workroom is a custom-designed pinboard, made by Prue and Tom using a stock image from Shutterstock. The picture of a leafless forest brings a textural element to the space, without being too busy or distracting, while the pinboard is a practical addition.
The feeling of abundant space is one of Prue’s favourite features of the house. A long, wide hallway and high ceilings throughout the home also give Mimi plenty of room to practise her cartwheels.
Adding to the sense of space is the use of a predominately white palette in every room of the house. “My entire house is white – white everything. I grow tired of colour very quickly,” says Prue. “I feel it will help the house stand the test of time.”
Adding to the sense of space is the use of a predominately white palette in every room of the house. “My entire house is white – white everything. I grow tired of colour very quickly,” says Prue. “I feel it will help the house stand the test of time.”
A large open-plan space on the ground floor houses the kitchen, dining and living rooms. “Every ounce of our house is used,” says Prue. “There is no area in the dining room or lounge that sits untouched. Every space has a purpose – that is what I love most.”
The bar stools that line the kitchen bench are replicas of an Erik Buch design, normally only available with white, black, or red leather seats. Prue bought an additional white stool and had it reupholstered in a pale green leather, to give the look more variety. “You can’t beat a replica,” she says. “I know it is frowned upon in the design world but it saves you money, and you still get to enjoy great design.”
As is the case for many families, the kitchen bench is the heart of the Walstab’s home. “It’s where we start the day, and we love entertaining so it’s where our parties begin (and usually end),” Prue says. “We can watch the kids playing out in the pool from here, leaving the adults to socialise in peace. Our house is often the go-to house for this reason, especially in summer.”
Prue wanted her kitchen to be very open and simple, again with the focus on lots of practical storage and a basic white-and-stainless-steel colour palette.
In the adjoining dining area sits a table that was custom-made in collaboration with an interior designer, who also matched the finish of the chairs to the table. This was one of the family’s big splurges when it came to furniture.
The dining chairs are Hans Wegner Round Chair replicas
The dining chairs are Hans Wegner Round Chair replicas
The family brought a lot of their pre-existing furniture to their new home, including their large modular couch from King Furniture. While Prue admits it was a bit too big for their last house, they knew they would eventually upsize and it would then be the perfect fit. “We even designed some spaces in this home specifically around some of our existing furniture,” she says.
As a graphic designer, much of the artwork Prue has displayed throughout the family’s home is either quite graphic or quite typographic, including these pieces exhibited in the living room.
Practicality, space and storage were high up on the family’s wish list when they were planning the design of the house. All three considerations converged in the clean, streamlined design of the laundry room. “Our laundry is huge,” Prue says. “It’s hard to hate laundry when you have the space to do it in.”
Having the property backing on to the golf course means feathered guests frequently fly over the fence to enjoy the family’s swimming pool. The pool is also the regular hotspot for friends without feathers during Melbourne’s warmer months of the year.
From the upstairs balcony, the view of the golf course visually extends the backyard, with the two spaces separated only by an unobtrusive mesh fence. “We dreamt of living close to, or overlooking, a park,” says Prue. “When we found this block of land for sale it was like, ‘tick!’ It feels like living in the country and yet we are 15 minutes from the city. Native birds fill the native trees – it’s serene.”
Prue adds that privacy is not an issue, as the golfers are generally too engrossed in their game to notice the goings on of the family. “They’re only out there for a minute or two before moving on,” she says.
Prue adds that privacy is not an issue, as the golfers are generally too engrossed in their game to notice the goings on of the family. “They’re only out there for a minute or two before moving on,” she says.
While the ground floor of the house is home to the main living and working spaces for the family, the upper floor plays host to the kids’ bedrooms, guest room, and a rumpus room. “It is their domain and I love that I can go days without needing to go upstairs,” says Prue.
As Max approaches his teenage years, his room has been decorated to reflect his love of the St Kilda Football Club, with red, white and black decor. The world map mural is from Mapworld, and was added to encourage Max to always seek new adventures.
As Max approaches his teenage years, his room has been decorated to reflect his love of the St Kilda Football Club, with red, white and black decor. The world map mural is from Mapworld, and was added to encourage Max to always seek new adventures.
Next door is Mimi’s bedroom, which is also decorated in a style intended to last through her childhood years. The decorative timber bedframe comes courtesy of Prue’s mother, who tends to tire of furniture and decor quickly and often hands pieces down to Prue and her family.
‘Birds & Butterflies’ wallpaper: Schumacher
‘Birds & Butterflies’ wallpaper: Schumacher
The main upstairs bathroom, which is predominantly used by the kids, retains a sense of fun with whimsical touches such as the mermaid tail hanging over a towel rail and the dinosaur figurine on the benchtop.
The guest bedroom is also upstairs. It features a delicate iron-framed bed which was also inherited from Prue’s fashion-forward mother. “My mum is a big influence in my decor choices,” says Prue. “Although she is a lot more eclectic than I am, I respect her vision and often seek her advice.”
To maximise the space and accommodate Tom’s wish list requirement of a large garage, an underground level was built below the house, which also features a cinema room.
The garden was designed and developed by Gills Nursery and Landscaping, and includes the gorgeous mature palm tree which Prue and Tom gifted to one another on their 10-year wedding anniversary. The couple also added a solar tile system on the roof, which blends in nicely with the slate tiles.
The garden was designed and developed by Gills Nursery and Landscaping, and includes the gorgeous mature palm tree which Prue and Tom gifted to one another on their 10-year wedding anniversary. The couple also added a solar tile system on the roof, which blends in nicely with the slate tiles.
“The basement is known as ‘Man Land’, Tom is living his dream down there!” laughs Prue. Tom loves his toys, and in keeping with the vision that Max and Mimi would eventually have cars of their own, the couple decided to make the garage large enough for six cars.
The couple count the vehicle turntable as one of the splurges made during the building process, chosen so the manoeuvring of so many cars wouldn’t be too difficult further down the track. “We didn’t want to look back and wish we had done it properly,” Prue explains. “We didn’t extend ourselves too much, but are now grateful we said yes to the turntable, the ducted vacuum system, the electric blinds in the living room, and the hydronic heating.”
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
The couple count the vehicle turntable as one of the splurges made during the building process, chosen so the manoeuvring of so many cars wouldn’t be too difficult further down the track. “We didn’t want to look back and wish we had done it properly,” Prue explains. “We didn’t extend ourselves too much, but are now grateful we said yes to the turntable, the ducted vacuum system, the electric blinds in the living room, and the hydronic heating.”
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
Prue and Tom were drawn to the aesthetic of Federation-style homes, and let this historic style dictate the exterior of their new build, while the interior was designed to be completely modern. Prue designed the three-level layout in collaboration with Peter Wright, who drew up the final plans. The construction of the multi-storey residence was then carried out by mckimm residential design.
The only departure from Federation style was the choice of a traditional Victorian-style iron fence. “We felt it helped the house look established,” explains Prue. “Federation fences are wooden and can enclose a space, and I wanted our fence to be open and unobtrusive. It also has a lifetime guarantee.”