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Design + Diplomacy co-founder and creative director Nicole Langelier says it’s not every day you get to work with clients who are as bold as the owners of this Fitzroy apartment.
The clients — Mark and Vanessa Hartnell — had lived inside the 1800s MacRobertson Chocolate Factory for years. Then when the pandemic hit, they moved to Ballarat with their kids, but decided to keep the converted warehouse retreat as a city escape from their regional family home.
Nicole says their goal was to completely transform the apartment, with a go big or go home approach: ‘Playing with colour and texture was what this project was all about.’
‘The opposite to vanilla, this apartment makeover was a rainbow flavour ice cream sundae with sprinkles on top,’ she adds.
‘We were incredibly fortunate to have a client with a vision that was gutsy, bold and outrageous. It is rare to have clients that you have to reign in, and to a certain degree Mark was that guy.’
After looking at a plethora of inspiration images, they landed somewhere between embracing the apartment’s industrial flair with a steampunk vibe, paired with the vibrant colours of Memphis style.
It’s a quirky concept, but for the bones of the converted warehouse apartment, it seemed to just work.
‘The overall plan was to improve the layout and flow and of the space, let in as much natural light as possible, and make the kitchen the hub of the home,’ Nicole says.
‘We wanted to do this while honouring the building’s origins and indulging in the kaleidoscope of colours and textures the client was drawn to.’
The entire interior was gutted and reconfigured, sacrificing the internal courtyard balcony to create a new kitchen on an elevated, cobalt blue-rubber platform.
Mark’s original suggestion for bright fuchsia accents was slightly softened in favour of using a candy pink paint colour to create a pink cube they’ve dubbed as the home’s ‘engine room’, containing the laundry and bathroom inside.
‘We left original elements untouched like the red beams and exposed brick. Leaning into the steampunk, we embraced things that are traditionally hidden away such as the water tank in the laundry and pipes in the kitchen,’ Nicole says.
The resulting renovation is now known as The Musk Stick Apartment — a fitting name for the highly functional home, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Instead, it’s a happy place, full of whimsy and surprise.
