HG HOUSES

KITCHEN/DINING For passionate foodie Nicki, a well-appointed kitchen, butler’s

pantry and generous dining space were essential. Recycled valve handles were

painted red and used as drawer pulls on the island bench. Stainless-steel benchtop.

Induction cooktop, Fisher & Paykel. Thonet dining chairs, Innerspace. Dining table

custom-made by Doppel Factory. Tully spotlights, Caribou. Throw, West Elm.

Cushion, Bungalow Living. Flowers, Flower Haul (throughout).

Smart buy: Memphis kitchen mixer with red levers, $656, Brodware Industries.

For Where to Buy, see page 224.

C

onverting a heritage-listed fire station into a family

home is one of the more unusual briefs an architect or

interior designer could receive. But Nicki Dalton says

she knew the moment she and her husband Michael

walked into the 1938 fire station’s engine room (truck

bay) that it would be a wonderful home. “We like something a bit

out of the ordinary,” she says. “I didn’t know how we were going to

make it work, but it was an awesome space.”

Nicki and Michael, proprietors of specialty food wholesalers Fino

Foods, bought the bayside Brisbane property in 2012 and moved into

the three-bedroom stationmaster’s quarters on the first floor. It was

liveable, but with four children – Lucy, now 10, Harry, eight, Charlie,

six, and Alice, three – to accommodate, it felt a little cramped. The

access, via an external staircase, wasn’t ideal either.

The couple embarked on a full-scale conversion in 2015, calling

on the expertise of architect Paul Owen and interior designer Daniella

Rowles. The brief was straightforward: install a kitchen and dining

room where the couple could celebrate their passion for food, revamp

the entrance and enclose the external staircase.

Today, the for mer eng ine room is still at the centre of the action,

reimagined as a dining hall with a custom-made 20-seat dining

table to accommodate the Daltons’ regular large gatherings.

To the west of the dining hall is the firies’ rec room, now the living

room, which is decorated with Nicki’s collection of antique Australian

furniture. Next door, the locker room has been repurposed >