Felix Forest

Photographer

Our clients first met in California, one standing in front of the camera, the other behind it. That chance encounter marked the beginning of their love story and led him to return home to city of Melbourne, where their next chapter would begin.

The other character in this story is the light: the light remembered from their time in California; the light we hoped to bring to their home—a classic Victorian terrace, and the lightness of two people whose joy radiates.

Guided by these recollections and shaped by a rural Australian upbringing, the house balances both a lightness and a grounding energy. Amongst calm sandy walls, the design details draw inspiration from the green landscape with a formal front dining room, and the deep ocean with a navy sofa, creating a balance to the home's softness.

Through the restored and readapted archways, the tone of the house shifts. As you move towards the rear landscaped courtyard, the house lightens and softens. A soft wall colour, and curves are intended to reflect the client’s own presence. A playful, large Nathan Hawkes painting brings a bounce of energy and joy.

Layered within the house are bespoke timber furniture pieces from craftsman in Los Angeles, who we commissioned specially to bring those early Californian memories back into the home through the tactile instruments.

Where golden memories once flourished on the sands of Malibu, they now find new life in the heart of South Yarra

Lightness — Melbourne, Australia — 2021

There’s something intangible in the air in California—a golden glow, a soft, warm ambiance. It’s in this love affair with place, that the story for The House of Lightness begins.

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