when clients Satomi and Adam, who are from Japan and Australia respectively, tasked her with remodelling
their Melbourne home. The answer: a calm, light-filled interior that references Japanese design in the
subtlest of ways, while also retaining the 19th-century character of the building.
Miriam’s primary task for the double-fronted, single-storey terraced property in Melbourne’s gentrified
South Yarra was to overhaul the layout. She added a second floor and a contemporary extension to the
back, which is now home to a large, open-plan living room, kitchen and dining area. Satomi and Adam’s
two teenagers have the run of the upstairs, while the ground level has been transformed into a relaxing
space where minimalism is expertly interwoven with the home’s Victorian charm – from the original
tiles on the veranda to wood-panelled walls and decorative cornices.
At the very centre of this house sits a courtyard garden, in which an elegant Japanese maple grows.
Visible from almost every room, it ensures that nature is always present. The other ever-present feature
is natural sunlight, which is allowed to flood in thanks to an abundance of glazed, steel-framed, floor-to-
ceiling doors and windows – a nod to traditional Japanese shōji screens (usually made of washi paper and
bamboo). The most striking of these contemporary versions is the pair of curved glazed doors that frame
an arch between the living room and the hallway, where a brick wall once stood. ‘We wanted to get rid
of the dark, narrow original hallway,’ says Miriam, who also designed a meditation room with a tatami
mat floor. Upstairs, a serene bathroom features a Japanese soaking tub beside a window that offers views
of the Victorian architecture outside. ‘We love that contrast,’ adds Satomi.
The formal front room, complete with a grand piano and ornate marble fireplace, is used for reading
and playing music, but the family mostly congregates in the open-plan living area, which is decorated
in a restrained palette of whites and muted greys, enlivened by photography and clean-lined modern
furniture. ‘We’re often busy leading our own lives, but we come together in this space,’ says Satomi,
adding that the family loves the property so much, they now prefer staying in to going out. ‘We don’t
travel as much as we used to, we just want to hang here.’ mimdesign.com.auHow do you make a traditional VICTOR IAN house feel
JAPANESE? This was the question that ARCHITECT
Miriam Fanning of Mim Design found herself pondering
SEPTEMBER 2019 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 10 9Dining area Part of the extension, this space features floor-to-ceiling Crittal
windows. A pair of ‘Monster’ chairs by Marcel Wanders for Moooi and four
‘Cover’ chairs by Muuto surround the table, while a ‘Cosmos 2511’ pendant
by Lievore Altherr Molina for Vibia hangs above Stockist details on p188 ➤