fun & family friendly

A suburban house is turned into a quirky, colourful and contemporary home that’s perfect for a growing family

Stylish spaceHomeowners Marvin and

Meg Ilasco relax in their colourful Modernist home.

The classic pitched roof heightens the dramatic

glass wall at the rear of the house, while the raised

wood deck encourages an effortless indoor-outdoor experience.

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Golden oldiesThe couple purchased the mid-century Swedish dining table and chairs at auction for just $200. The earthy ochre Maharam fabric on the seats, combined with the walnut wood, prevents the bright colours in the space from overpowering. The funky transparent orange Kartell FL/Y pendant light creates a striking focal point and ties the colour palette together nicely.

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who lives here? | Marvin and Meg Ilasco, with their children Lauryn, 7, and Miles, 4s for taking

1 Old & new The couple like to mix contemporary pieces with retro items and old heirlooms to create a home with warmth and character. “If you can’t make the heirloom piece work, rework it on your own terms,” Meg advises. “For example, I created a plaster mould from my parents’ cultural wood wall art instead of hanging the original, and I reupholstered the cushions on some inherited chairs.”

2 Greener living Keen gardener Meg has filled glass beakers and flasks with mini gardens and interspersed them between furniture, books and knick-knacks in the living room to reinforce the indoor-outdoor connection provided by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

3 Colour creatives The couple have used colour and pattern to great effect in their home. The key is not to overdo it, Meg says. An accent wall of bold yellow, for example, needs to be balanced with more natural elements in the space such as woods and softer, neutral tones. It’s also a good idea to use colours that tie a look together – for example, pick out shades in a rug or artwork and use that colour in the bedlinen, accessories or accent wall in the same space.

or being such little creatures, children have a way of making a big impact. In Marvin and Meg Ilasco’s case, their growing family was the driving force behind selling their remote countryside home in exchange for life in the suburbs. “We really had no intention of

buying this house until we found out that our second child, Miles, was on the way,” Marvin explains. “We knew it was time to start building our nest.”

The couple’s “nest” is now a colourful and character-filled house with a Modernist aesthetic. It may be surburban but it is anything but conventional. At first glance the house is a well-edited showcase of mid-century decor, perhaps due to the large furnishings that are true showpieces from that time period – the oversized 1960s shelving unit in the living room, for example, and the Swedish dining table and chairs. Or maybe it’s because the colours – generous swathes of glorious orange, yellow, blue, and red hues appearing on everything from the walls to the bedding and rugs – are distinctly optimistic: an outlook that not only defines the post-war era, but is also an appropriate fun and energetic palette for a young family.

But the house is not all about Modernist design – personal touches and heirloom pieces give the space warmth and a feeling of relaxed homeliness. A mosaic of wedding images, baby pictures and birthday-party snapshots adorn the living room walls – some framed, some hanging casually by a strip of tape, while the plaster cast of Filipino dancers hanging above the sideboard in the dining room, and the wooden version in the master bedroom, were both crafted by the couple. “They’re exact replicas of pieces that used to hang in my parents’ house,” Meg explains.

Other stylish and sentimental heirlooms inject the family’s Filipino heritage into the home, namely a pair of reupholstered rattan chairs in the living room (among the first pieces of furniture owned by Meg’s mother and father) and several capiz-shell hanging lamps from Marvin’s childhood home. “It’s comforting being around objects that have always been a part of our life,” Marvin says. “Now they’re part of our kids’ lives, too.”

The couple’s two young children, Lauryn and Miles, offer their early stabs at design with psychedelic paintings, and a vast treasury of toys adds unexpected but welcome graphic and textural qualities to this kid-friendly dwelling. “Though we wish our children would be into those trendy European wooden toys, we know they love the less-stylish SpongeBob and iCarly characters,” Meg laughs. “Our home reflects all of us. The decor isn’t precious. We know better than that. We have kids!”

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beddinG

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bright way to showcase pots & pans

Industrial energy Meg enjoys a little time out baking with the kids, Lauryn and Miles. “We like bringing industrial pieces into our home,” she says of the metal bar stools and bare bulb lights over the workbench. The unusual grey colour choice for the kitchen cabinets amplifies this atomic-era effect and works well with the bold yellow alcove and colourful accessories in the space.

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Classic, contemporary, colourful The bold-and-dramatic accent wall not

only commands attention in the airy living room, but it enlivens the natural

elements in the space, such as the exposed wooden panelling on the

ceiling, the jute rug and 1960s teak shelving unit, which doubles as a great

spot for storage and display. The contemporary wire mesh tables-cum-

footstools create an interesting contrast to the mid-century-style sofa

and the newly reupholstered country-style rattan chairs.

heirlOOm pieCes mix with retrO finds and COntempOrary items tO Create a relaxed

yet stylish spaCe

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Bright bunksThe kids’ bunk bed is an Ikea buy.

“Lauryn and Miles share a bedroom, so with such limited space a bunk bed is a

necessity,” Meg explains. The natural raw wood frame doesn’t compete with

the colour explosion that comes courtesy of the kid’s own wall art and the bright bedding by Ikea (on the top

bunk) and Boodalee (bottom).

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pegboard = cute idea for kid’s art gallery

Punchy paletteIn the kid’s play corner colour

takes centre stage again – the striking yellow and

orange Mojave wall hanging by Marimekko ties the wall colour and rug together nicely, and it also cleverly hides an

ugly circuitbreaker. A large Ikea cube storage

unit with labelled straw baskets is a functional

and well-organised storage area for toys

and games.

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Mix master The master bedroom is a

wonderful mix of colours, patterns and textures. The organic design

of the wallpaper – “Ribbed” by Danish design company Ferm

Living – creates a whimsical backdrop to the bedhead,

showcasing the bright bedlinen and cushions to great effect. The Filipino artwork (on left wall) was

inherited from Meg’s parents. “The original wood looked dated, so we modernised it with a fresh coat of

green paint,” Meg says.

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Get meG’s lOOk

How to:terrariums | Create a contained miniature landscape to keep indoors1 To start A terrarium can be created

in any partially or fully enclosed clear container. Get creative – anything from bottles and jars to vases, fishtanks and brandy balloons will work.

2 Prepare and plant Line your container with pebbles or gravel for drainage, a thin layer of charcoal (optional) to act as a filter, some sphagnum moss to stop soil movement and, finally, a thick layer of sandy potting mix. Pick slow-growing, compact plants that will grow well together – consider their height and size before planting.

3 maintenance Moisture created by transpiring plants will condense and effectively water them for weeks, but don’t place your terrarium in full sun. Remove plants when they become diseased or outgrow their containers.

Checkmate! A classic colour combination.Chequers cushion in Caviar,

$39.95, Aura.

Bright colours abound in a nod

to everything plastic and

fantastic since the mid-century

Life’s a beach Eldest son Lachlan, 11, steps into the outdoor shower after a surf.

Colourful collection Meg loves to display items that have a common link or colour theme. Here, a yellow piggybank and orange lamp from Marvin’s childhood

mix with modern kids’ toys and trinkets. The old dresser has been given a new look with brightly painted yellow handles.

Clever thinking This non-woven wallpaper is easier to hang than most.Wallsmart ribbed wallpaper, $150 a roll, Ferm Living.

Designer glow These bubble-like lights come in almost all the colours of the rainbow.FL/Y suspension lamp, $365, Kartell.

Seat, feet or … Stool, ottoman, table – a very

versatile piece of furniture.Cali ottoman, $215, Equator Homewares.

Cosy and comfortable

Just as warm and inviting on the

couch or the bed.Olby handknitted throw, $155, Elk

Accessories.

Bar none Cool industrial appeal.Standard bar stool,

$265, Dulton. For stockists, see page 161.

Designer walls The gorgeous Danish designer wallpaper in the bedroom makes an easy transition for the opulent and perhaps unusual choice of Cole & Son “Woods” wallpaper in the bathroom.

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