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When Yvonne Shafir and her cat violet moved into this St Kilda East property, it was (unbelievably) a ‘blank canvas.’ Everything in the Spanish Mission style home was white, except for the lime carpet. Yvonne immediately set to work, painting the outside deck and fence pink, and introducing her growing art collection, in the pursuit of ‘turning the house into a home.’
While Yvonne may live alone, colour is a constant companion and character that fills this home! The playful residence offers a story in each room, including a ‘fantasy garden Christian Lacroix mural in the hallway’ and an installation in the office called ‘Day at the Beach.’ As you move through the home, narratives unfold – from the Hollywood glam bedroom to 19th century Parisian boudoir bedroom, and Thai temple en-suite. She cheerfully proclaims ‘overall, a botanical surreal thematic is at play.’
Yvonne moved into the home in 2017, after spying it on a newsfeed. She highlights that ‘after decades of apartment living in New York and a stint in Melbourne’s north, I wanted a suburban experience, with a garden and no flight of stairs in sight!’ In a short period of time, she has well-and-truly made this 1930’s built property her own, and has become pals with the neighbours. She highlights that the street is a ‘kitty cul-de-sac’, where her cat Violet has also made ‘made friends (and frenemies).’
Although Yvonne has created a truly personalised home for herself here, she acknowledges that the space is never truly finished. She highlights ‘the house is in a constant state of flux’ where colour ‘is the main character in the house soap opera, which traverses time and places.’ (That is a TV show we would LOVE to watch!). Yvonne enthusiastically concludes ‘at the risk of sounding pretentious. I see the house as a total art work: Gesamtkuntswerk‘. A total gem of a home in our eyes!
