This beautiful period property, bought as the worst house on the best street in Melbourne’s Hawthorn, belongs to interior decorator Charis James, mother of former Home & Away actress Tessa James.
As a design professional, tackling a serious renovation project which would also become her family’s home and living on site the whole time, was challenging to say the least. “Designing for yourself is very different,” Charis says. “A lot of the designing takes place in your head a long time before the construction begins. As a designer it gives you total control and flexibility to lead with your instincts and change your mind and make decisions on the spot. Prioritising things with the spaces that you know will make all the difference to the final product and not having to convince someone else to spend extra money, means your design isn’t compromised.”