South Yarra, Melbourne
This is the South Yarra home of Mandy Wilton, an 1890 single-fronted Victorian on a wedge-shaped block that she bought in 2019 and had Sean Godsell Architects rework. The original part of the house was renovated, the earlier extension demolished and rebuilt, and a self-contained studio with its own entrance added at the back of the property. The studio is the building seen here across the internal courtyard. Wilton, who says "I am a longtime admirer of architect Sean Godsell", gave him almost no brief beyond room for books and a table that could seat a crowd; for big dinners the bifold doors to the courtyard open and the tables join up.
The timbers lining the walls, ceiling and bookshelves are set against Dulux Berkshire White and Natural White inside and Lime White outside, for a minimalist, Japanese feel, and the tree in the courtyard is a potted Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy. The joinery was made by Carpentry by Stu and the street fence is a riff on the original picket fence, redone in steel. Wilton's own verdict is that the house is at its finest bare of furniture, because it is architecturally superb.
Sean Godsell Architects
Sean Godsell Architects is the Fitzroy practice of Sean Godsell, born in Melbourne in 1960 and a University of Melbourne graduate of 1984, who formed Godsell Associates in 1994 and received the Australian Institute of Architects' Gold Medal in 2022.
Architecture Sean Godsell Architects (@seangodsellarchitects). Photography Eve Wilson (@evegwilson). Styling @annieportelli. Home of Mandy Wilton. Seen via @thedesignfiles.
The picture comes from this post on Instagram.
Researched September 2026. I credit each piece as carefully as I can; if you know more about this one, message me on Instagram.