When I was a little girl, my father built me a doll’s house and from then until I was way too old to be playing with dolls, I would spend countless hours rearranging the furniture within. So you can imagine my envy when I came across Melbourne interior designers Barb and Alexandra Brownlow, who got to do the same with the full size Johnston Collection house museum, Fairhall.
Melbourne antique dealer and benefactor the late William Johnston, who died in 1986, wanted his East Melbourne home to be kept as a museum and regularly rearranged. Each year, one or two individuals with a background in design, art, interiors, fashion or antiques, are invited to rearrange the house-museum and the mother and daughter duo are the latest to be given the honour.
“Being approached to be involved with The Johnston Collection was exciting in itself, but the opportunity to share our vision for this unique collection with such a varied audience is certainly a highlight,” says Alexandra, who studied interior design at RMIT and spent seven years at de de ce, before joining her mother at Brownlow Interior Design.
“After the success of our exhibition, Antique Furniture for Modern Times, at the Australian Antique and Art Dealers Association Fair in May, we established a reputation for creating contemporary interiors using antique furniture,” she explained.
