Chic. Not exactly the first word that springs to mind when thinking of a home with small children – but we can’t think of a better description for this gorgeous Melbourne home designed by Harrison Interiors.

Mixing a crisp white palette with rich timber and oak elements, the home is highly practical (perhaps the most important feature for a young family) without losing its cool factor. Open plan spaces, simple layouts and well-curated furnishings elevate the design, doing more with less in every way possible.

DESIGN Harrison Interiors | PHOTOGRAPHY Tessa-Ross Phelan

In collaboration with local architect Geoffrey Woodstock, Harrison Interiors transformed this inner-city terrace to a family home with room to spread out and grow up. To build out the spaces Woodstock linked the original single-storey building and a seperate building at the rear of the block with a light-filled connecting corridor. While the front section of the house remained mostly unchanged, the back of the terrace was opened up to create a comprehensive living, dining and kitchen area. The new ‘wing’ at the end of the corridor was a natural fit for a parent’s retreat, featuring the master bedroom and ensuite.

While the layout of the home has done much to modernise and support the structure for its new inhabitants, the interior design elevates the home’s aesthetic from comfortable living to easy luxury. Stripping the walls back to clean whites and the floors to dark timber floors cultivates a subtly Nordic feel, while the sandblasted oak joinery adds warmth.

There’s a sense of thoughtfulness for both form and function throughout the design. As the main hub of the house, the dining/kitchen space is well-used with the timber joinery and white bench tops that run along the walls bringing the spaces together, while a fireside nook that could have simply been a crumpled couch and bookshelf is instead a showroom-worthy collection of furniture and art. Meanwhile, the raked ceilings, pale timber panelling and subtle cabinetry of the bedrooms create a minimal, calming space for parents to wind down at the end of the day.

Even the smaller details of the home display a love of design and beauty, creating a sense of simplicity and elegance in spaces that could easily become crowded with all kinds of clutter.

We love the rich texture of the dark timber floors throughout the ground floor, particularly the way it has been offset with whites and the occasional flourish of artwork.