Houzz Tours
My Houzz: The Melbourne Rental That Fit the Brief
When it comes to balancing work and play, this interior designer's home ticks all the boxes
Searching for the perfect rental is not easy; especially when you need to make room for a home design studio and a growing family. Interior designer, Fiona Parry-Jones and her husband Nick Ditterich struck gold with a light-filled home in Caulfield North, Melbourne. The 1950s brick house has ample office space from which Parry-Jones can run her business, Von Haus Design Studio, and suits her aesthetic sensibilities to a tee. Not long after moving in, Parry-Jones and her husband Ditterich became the proud parents of a son, Miles.
When Parry-Jones first inspected the home, her eyes were instantly drawn to the amazing chevron parquetry floors – a design feature she had always loved. Falling head over heels with the rest of the home was simple after that.
Hola sign: Target
Hola sign: Target
“When we moved in, we didn’t have a huge budget to buy all new furniture, so I made it my mission to buy as much secondhand furniture as we could to create a homely feel,” Parry-Jones says. “We love history and hand-me-downs.”
Parry-Jones’ lounge room is a perfect example of how secondhand and new items can work together seamlessly. The lamp base was inherited from Ditterich’s grandfather and is completed with an orange, vintage lampshade found by Parry-Jones. The coffee table was spotted by her mother-in-law at a garage sale. “I make sure everyone in the family is on the lookout for good finds,” Parry-Jones says.
Side table: Milk & Sugar; rug: Grant Dorman Interiors
Parry-Jones’ lounge room is a perfect example of how secondhand and new items can work together seamlessly. The lamp base was inherited from Ditterich’s grandfather and is completed with an orange, vintage lampshade found by Parry-Jones. The coffee table was spotted by her mother-in-law at a garage sale. “I make sure everyone in the family is on the lookout for good finds,” Parry-Jones says.
Side table: Milk & Sugar; rug: Grant Dorman Interiors
“I love mixing patterns and textures, and will change my cushions and homewares every season to create a new look,” Parry-Jones says. “It’s an affordable way to bring new life to the home.”
Artwork: Nathan and Jac
Artwork: Nathan and Jac
The dining room, in addition to its intended function, is a space where Parry-Jones can paint and do craft with her son Miles. “We often have a family ‘crafternoon’ around the dining table with a cuppa and some music playing,” she says.
The dining setting has a wonderful provenance, too – inherited from Ditterich’s family, the chairs are original Bentwood, bought at a country auction in Camperdown. They originally belonged to Sir Chester Manifold, a significant land owner of the area in the 1890s.
The dining setting has a wonderful provenance, too – inherited from Ditterich’s family, the chairs are original Bentwood, bought at a country auction in Camperdown. They originally belonged to Sir Chester Manifold, a significant land owner of the area in the 1890s.
“The style and era of the house has influenced my decorating the most,” Parry-Jones says. “Being a rental, you can’t paint walls or do major renovations, so you have to work with what you have and make the most of it.”
Artwork (top right): Sally Cleary; (bottom right): Josh McCrimmon
Vases of flowers and indoor pot plants can be seen at every turn in Parry-Jones’ home . “A home doesn’t feel right without them and this is the one thing I always get my clients to do,” she says. “It just makes you feel happy when flowers are in the home.”
Artwork: Spacecraft Australia
Artwork: Spacecraft Australia
The abundance of natural light in the 1950s home was a huge selling point. Being a designer, and working in large part from home, Parry-Jones requires significant amounts of natural light in order to judge colour correctly. Every room in the home either has the benefit of dual aspect or large windows, which allows large quantities of light to stream in.
“We are a creative family and love to make things for the home and garden,” Parry-Jones says.
The artwork pictured was painted by Parry-Jones as a gift to her husband Ditterich when they first started dating.
The artwork pictured was painted by Parry-Jones as a gift to her husband Ditterich when they first started dating.
Ditterich’s son Miles has the largest bedroom in the house. It was originally Parry-Jones’ office, but with the house only having one living area and limited space for Miles to play in, Parry-Jones decided to turn it into a bedroom. Now Miles isn’t restricted to playing in the living room and has plenty of storage for his toys and books.
Black bedspread: Designers Choice; sheepskin floor rug: Kmart; bed: Ikea
Black bedspread: Designers Choice; sheepskin floor rug: Kmart; bed: Ikea
Tigger thinks Miles’ room is pretty fabulous, too!
Bedside lamp: Milk & Sugar
Bedside lamp: Milk & Sugar
There is plenty of space in Miles’ room for ample storage to help keep things organised.
Planting the seed, perhaps, for Miles to follow in his Mum’s footsteps? One of the mother-son’s favourite pastimes is to sit down together to tackle the Pantone puzzle book.
Miles’ room also functions as the guest room when his grandparent’s come to stay. His bed has a trundle underneath that can be pulled out for him to sleep on when required.
Artwork: Society6
Artwork: Society6
Parry-Jones spends anywhere from three to eight hours a day, and some nights, too, in her studio. On the top of her whiteboard sit the letters that represent her business name, ‘Von Haus’.
“I wanted to somehow incorporate my husband’s family name into my business. Von Haus means ‘of the house’ in German. Nick’s ancestry was originally Von Ditterich so we decided to incorporate this back into our family by making it the business name. I like to create homes with family in mind,” Parry-Jones explains. “A home is not just for display; it reflects the soul of who lives there.”
“I wanted to somehow incorporate my husband’s family name into my business. Von Haus means ‘of the house’ in German. Nick’s ancestry was originally Von Ditterich so we decided to incorporate this back into our family by making it the business name. I like to create homes with family in mind,” Parry-Jones explains. “A home is not just for display; it reflects the soul of who lives there.”
Images on Parry-Jones’ mood board are constantly changing, from interior ideas to fashion and family photos. They all offer inspiration or, at the very least, provide something pleasant to look at when she’s suffering from designer’s block.
Parry-Jones says that when she’s in her office, she likes to get straight down to it and tick off all her tasks for the day. “I do sometimes get distracted by internet shopping, but I never sit back and watch TV – I’m pretty strict on myself,” she says. She also has a ‘no pyjama’ rule and makes sure she gets ready for the day like anyone else going to an office would.
This writer’s desk is another family heirloom and offers functional storage for Parry-Jones’ stationery.
Parry-Jones’ passion for colour and pattern carry through to the master bedroom.
“On the weekends we do love to have breakfast in bed together, read our books and relax before doing any house projects or outings,” she says.
Artwork: United Artworks; throw: MRD Home; side table: Milk & Sugar
“On the weekends we do love to have breakfast in bed together, read our books and relax before doing any house projects or outings,” she says.
Artwork: United Artworks; throw: MRD Home; side table: Milk & Sugar
With limited storage and surface area in the original ’50s kitchen, Parry-Jones bought this steel bench with under-storage from Ikea to ensure easy access to bowls and plates.
When they first moved in, the backyard had been all but abandoned, with no plants to be seen and just some old tennis court turf on the ground. Ditterich was determined to make the backyard a pleasant and inviting space to entertain in, so they approached the landlord and asked him if he’d do a deal on the rent in exchange for them to do some minor improvements. The landlord was over the moon with the offer and so the couple got busy transforming the tired backyard.
A special piece in the garden is the love bench made by Ditterich for Parry-Jones after she gave birth to Miles in 2012. “He made it from a recycled bed frame I had bought years ago from Ikea. Nick is really creative with timber,” she says. “He even engraved my initial on the front – he’s a romantic crafter at heart.”
TELL US
What do you like about this creative couple’s home?
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.
What do you like about this creative couple’s home?
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.
Who lives here: Interior designer Fiona Parry-Jones, her husband Nick Ditterich, their son Miles, and Tigger the cat.
Location: Caulfield North, Melbourne
Size: 2 bedrooms, 1 office, 1 bathroom
Photos by Kate Hansen