Houzz Tours
My Houzz: A 1970s Home Basks in its Natural Surroundings
An open-plan house defines spaces with angles and views of the picturesque Werribee River
Located near the scenic Werribee river trail in Victoria is the home of artist and curator Megan Evans. Filled with family heirlooms, art and more art, Evans’ home doubles as her creative space where she makes jewellery, embroidery and edits videos.
When she bought the home in 2011, she had it renovated to cater to her mother as a semi-detached living space. After her mother moved into a nursing home, the space was once again reconfigured to suit Evans as her new studio. “It’s perfect for me as an artist,” she says. “I can work at all times, both in the house and in the studio. The garden is beautiful and is a great space to open the house onto on a nice day.”
When she bought the home in 2011, she had it renovated to cater to her mother as a semi-detached living space. After her mother moved into a nursing home, the space was once again reconfigured to suit Evans as her new studio. “It’s perfect for me as an artist,” she says. “I can work at all times, both in the house and in the studio. The garden is beautiful and is a great space to open the house onto on a nice day.”
When Evans and her mother moved in, they took down the walls partitioning three existing bedrooms, relocated doors, added a kitchen and an accessible bathroom to create semi-detached living quarters.
When her mother moved into a nursing home two years ago, it was a seamless transition for Evans to turn the space into her studio. She added solar panels to the roof of the studio and plans to someday upgrade to solar water heating, as well as retrofitting the existing single-pane glass windows and doors with double glazing.
Miniature furniture made by her father, which Evans kept, now furnishes the small dollhouse she found in an antique shop, seen here to the left.
When her mother moved into a nursing home two years ago, it was a seamless transition for Evans to turn the space into her studio. She added solar panels to the roof of the studio and plans to someday upgrade to solar water heating, as well as retrofitting the existing single-pane glass windows and doors with double glazing.
Miniature furniture made by her father, which Evans kept, now furnishes the small dollhouse she found in an antique shop, seen here to the left.
Evans’ studio is filled with engraved tables and upholstered chairs embroidered with bones or sewn with red beads. She is working on an installation with Aboriginal artist, Peter Waples-Crowe, that will fill four rooms in the Art Gallery of Ballarat. His traditional land is where her grandparents first occupied when they settled in Australia.
Across from the studio is the living area, which is the perfect location for Evans’ desk where she does video editing and digital artwork. Evans spends most of her time in the winter here by the gas log fire, or in the studio.
When it comes to decorating, Evans’ hot design tip is, “art and more art. That makes a house interesting,” she says. “I don’t have a style as such, I create the spaces in my house as I would an installation for an exhibition. It just has a look that I like. I move things around until it feels right.” A gallery wall in the living room celebrates South African artist William Kentridge and shows off her passion for art.
A glass case on a wall in the triangular-shaped opening features an artwork titled ‘Hero’, which is a model of a boat built in 1864. It holds sentimental value for Evans, whose ancestors arrived on that boat from Scotland.
A glass case on a wall in the triangular-shaped opening features an artwork titled ‘Hero’, which is a model of a boat built in 1864. It holds sentimental value for Evans, whose ancestors arrived on that boat from Scotland.
Evans’ work explores family heritage and bloodlines and the impact of colonisation. The artist is well known for her large-scale murals, including the Northcote Koorie Mural.
There are few dead ends in the open-plan layout with continuous sight lines. The centralised and open kitchen transitions from the living room through to the dining areas.
Evans’ kitchen provides ample benchtop space and access to the second living room, dining room, and breakfast area.
Across from the kitchen is the second living room, which receives ample sunlight. The most noticeable change Evans made to the house was changing the vertical blinds to roll-down shades that filter the light. Thick fabric curtains were added on the larger windows for privacy and insulation.
Much of the furniture pieces either came over from Evans’ former home across the river, or are family heirlooms. The couch is a favourite piece she bought for her previous abode, and while it worked well there she feels it was made for this house.
The piano belonged to Evans’ mother, but it was sold to her cousin at one point, when her mother was in a time of need. The cousin’s children learnt to play piano on it. Then, one day, Evans received a phone call asking her if she would like to have it back. Evans is learning to play the piano and the cello.
A large portrait of Evans’ grandmother framed in white contrasts against the red brick walls. Beside it, a door leads from the dining room to the laundry and bathroom.
Evans painted two walls when she first moved into her new home, one by the staircase and one in the living room. The cedar wood panelling felt dark and she needed to break up its orange tone. She says that one day in the future, she may decide to plaster the walls.
An open wood staircase leads upstairs into the master suite and a mezzanine. Evans says she isn’t that fond of the glass panels, but she loves the wood stairs.
Upstairs, the bedroom’s roofline directs views to the greenery outside. A peg ladder provides access to the loft, which Evans uses for hanging art and scarves. She sometimes goes up to the loft to enjoy the sunshine, the views and the quiet.
The French Art Nouveau screen at the foot of the bed was found in an antique shop in Canberra when Evans was visiting for a project. She has used it to break up the expanse of glass running along the room, through which she can look out over the garden and to the river. Behind the wall is a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite bathroom.
What Evans loves most about her home is being surrounded by nature; “There is an abundance of birds that I wake up to every morning and I have seen a platypus, as well as a family of turtles, in the river in front of my house. It doesn’t get much better than that,” she says.
TELL US
What do you like best about this art- and history-filled home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US
What do you like best about this art- and history-filled home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here: Megan Evans and her dog, Leo
Location: Werribee, Victoria
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Evans had previously lived near the Werribee river trail and wanted to stay in the same area. She had passed by her new home many times while walking Leo and was always curious about it, so when it came up for sale she acted quickly and put in an offer.
“The river is so beautiful and to be able to walk out the back gate, down the stairs and along the river to the township of Werribee is extraordinary,” she says.
The house was built by the previous owner and his father in 1979 and designed by an architect friend. The family owned a local plate-glass company and Evans suspects that this is the reason for the abundance of glazing throughout the house.
Chairs: Bunnings