My Houzz: A Cosy Family Cottage Brings the Outside In
A family's 'blank canvas' home places emphasis on greenery and lush outdoor spaces
Louise Lakier
5 December 2016
Houzz Australian Contributor: I am a content creator with a background in architecture and construction management, passionate about design, sustainable lifestyles, and storytelling. I am fascinated with how personalities inform the creation of space and make a place feel like 'home'.
Houzz Australian Contributor: I am a content creator with a background in architecture... More
The power of plants and greenery to transform the feel of a house is not to be underestimated. This has been the case for a 1960s cottage home tucked away on a suburban street in Victoria, surrounded by a lush tropical garden. The house, located in the tranquil beachside town of Altona, was purchased in 2006 by Marise Maas and Steve Purcell, who looked past its run-down state to see its potential as a ‘blank canvas’ for their family.
When they bought, they envisioned enclosing the back porch and expanding out into a practically bare yard. As they’ve grown into their house and made it a home, it’s transformed to accommodate their growing boys, chooks, a cat and nursery-worthy plant collections. It also functions as a work space for Maas in which she can create her art.
When they bought, they envisioned enclosing the back porch and expanding out into a practically bare yard. As they’ve grown into their house and made it a home, it’s transformed to accommodate their growing boys, chooks, a cat and nursery-worthy plant collections. It also functions as a work space for Maas in which she can create her art.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Marise Maas, 47, Steve Purcell, 56, their sons, Tom, 13, and Fred, 9, Chinky the cat, and Sue the chook
Location: Altona, Victoria
Size: 150 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Year built: 1961
Cost: $245,000
Looking in from the street front, the house is surrounded by its tropical oasis of a front yard. Previously a bed of gravel, the front yard has transformed in the 10 years since they moved in. Homeowner Steve Purcell cultivated and nurtured the garden with plants purchased from nurseries and cuttings that continue to flourish. The black paint chosen for the exterior wood siding is a beautiful contrast to the vivid green of the surrounding plants.
Who lives here: Marise Maas, 47, Steve Purcell, 56, their sons, Tom, 13, and Fred, 9, Chinky the cat, and Sue the chook
Location: Altona, Victoria
Size: 150 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Year built: 1961
Cost: $245,000
Looking in from the street front, the house is surrounded by its tropical oasis of a front yard. Previously a bed of gravel, the front yard has transformed in the 10 years since they moved in. Homeowner Steve Purcell cultivated and nurtured the garden with plants purchased from nurseries and cuttings that continue to flourish. The black paint chosen for the exterior wood siding is a beautiful contrast to the vivid green of the surrounding plants.
Placed on the entry porch, the day bed is a favourite chill-out spot for the family. New corrugated PVC sheeting has been used for the existing skylights to allow more light in to the space. There are plans to install skylights at the front door in the future, too.
Potted plants carefully arranged in a bookshelf greet guests at the front door. In fact, Maas refers to herself as the potted plant queen. She often picks up plant cuttings on her bush walks, which help fill the house with greenery and variety.
At the end of the driveway at the front of the house lies Maas’ studio, which was previously used as an enclosed carport.
Before having the option to work from home, Maas rented a studio on Chapel Street in Windsor. However, after the birth of her second son, Fred, she found it harder to juggle motherhood and working away from home. This was resolved by setting up a home studio.
Both she and Purcell work late into the night, and after enclosing the carport and opening it up to the rear yard, they both have individual work spaces that are separate from the main house.
Before having the option to work from home, Maas rented a studio on Chapel Street in Windsor. However, after the birth of her second son, Fred, she found it harder to juggle motherhood and working away from home. This was resolved by setting up a home studio.
Both she and Purcell work late into the night, and after enclosing the carport and opening it up to the rear yard, they both have individual work spaces that are separate from the main house.
The shape of the studio space is not ideal, but Maas works around it. Instead of working on an easel, she now hangs her art along the exterior wall and steps back to view the progress. The table in the foreground is set up for screen print designs and drawings.
Inside the home, the family loves the tropical views from the living room. Purcell attends to administration tasks on a computer desk across from the sofa and the kids watch TV here.
The corks filling the cage on the living room shelf are from wine they have enjoyed. However, the collecting of corks has begun to slow due to the popularity of screw cap tops. “It’s a remnant from the times I collected corks for my brother, Ruben, who used to make amazing cork boards out of them.”
Colourful trinkets and sentimental mementos are composed into meaningful displays throughout the house, complemented with artwork and Maas’s paintings.
Colourful trinkets and sentimental mementos are composed into meaningful displays throughout the house, complemented with artwork and Maas’s paintings.
Maas loves to read from bed from her room, which overlooks the street front. Privacy was a concern when they first moved in, but now the window is shrouded by the lush jungle. She chose red for the walls because she thinks it makes the room feel warm and cosy. “Inside, I change colours easily. It can change the feel of a room dramatically and it’s not such a big deal if you get it wrong,” says Maas. The horse was a “spur of the moment thing”, painted with a roller.
The doona cover screen print is by Los Angeles based skateboarder, photographer and artist, Ed Templeton.
The doona cover screen print is by Los Angeles based skateboarder, photographer and artist, Ed Templeton.
Across from the picture window, a horse painting by Maas lies on top of a dresser refurbished by her father. Her dad, a retired architect/builder, found the dresser for her at an auction on one of his visits to Melbourne.
Maas immigrated to Australia from Holland at the age of 13 with her family. She later majored in printmaking at the Hobart School of Art. Horses feature prominently in Maas’ paintings now, as she paints them as stand-ins for people in mundane situations. She attributes her interest to horses stemming from riding horses on the family’s hobby farm in Tasmania, which she says made her ‘horse crazy’. The painting on the dresser is a 2011 work titled ‘Panache’.
Maas immigrated to Australia from Holland at the age of 13 with her family. She later majored in printmaking at the Hobart School of Art. Horses feature prominently in Maas’ paintings now, as she paints them as stand-ins for people in mundane situations. She attributes her interest to horses stemming from riding horses on the family’s hobby farm in Tasmania, which she says made her ‘horse crazy’. The painting on the dresser is a 2011 work titled ‘Panache’.
The eldest son, Tom, chose orange for his bedroom colour and picked a large red painting by Maas titled ‘Horse’s Houses’ for his wall.
Tom is now in high school and is learning to play the double bass with bow. He played guitar in a band in primary school (The Lost Cats) and gravitates towards focusing on electric and contrabass.
Fred, the youngest son, can often be found in his bedroom, which shares a wall with the dining room/studio. Fred has slept through jam sessions since he was an infant. The sea creature-themed fabric includes a layer of padding and covers up a window that originally looked out onto the covered patio.
In the bathroom, located next to Fred’s room, the wood cabinet is from Maggie’s Bazaar in Footscray while the Indonesian river stone sink is a find from a Brunswick shop. It reminds Maas of family holidays overseas.
The kitchen is adjacent to the bathroom. It was painted yellow to give a “bright clean fresh beginning”, says Maas. Lots of sentimental items are displayed on the walls and shelving units for the family to enjoy.
Maas suggests not overanalysing your choice of paint colour for rooms. Instead, go with the feeling you want and change it if it turns out wrong. “Good ideas can come from unexpected happy accidents,” she says.
Maas suggests not overanalysing your choice of paint colour for rooms. Instead, go with the feeling you want and change it if it turns out wrong. “Good ideas can come from unexpected happy accidents,” she says.
Maas had a red and white bedroom as a 12 year old in the Netherlands. Her aunt gave her the old enamel Coca Cola sign, which used to hang on the outside of her own corner shop. “She gave it to me because of the red and white obsession I had at the time. I’ve had it for years and years now,” says Maas.
Potted cuttings line the windowsill above the kitchen sink. The layers of plants framing the windows blend inside with outside.
In the kitchen, a white unit blends in with white paneling. Maas displays pieces from her personal art collection on top of, above, and inside the various shelving units. The glass sculpture is by Matt Calvert and the embroidery, ‘Made Up Fish #6’, is by Tim Moore. The Melbourne tram model is a gift made by a friend.
The family plays music while they cook, through an inexpensive record/tape deck that sits above the microwave.
The family plays music while they cook, through an inexpensive record/tape deck that sits above the microwave.
The entertaining and dining is mostly done from the back room. The space functions as a dining room, a pool room, and a music studio. The long dining table pictured also happens to be the pool table. The cover slides open and folds down, and the wheels give it the flexibility to move around and out of the space to accommodate band members during practice sessions. A curtain separates the kitchen from the multifunctional room.
The old piano is Maas’ favourite item in the house. “A piano is a good social instrument to have around. I like that it gets played by the kids now. The piano was shipped over from the Netherlands by my parents when we moved to Tasmania in the 1980s. It was our old study piano when we were kids,” says Maas. After the kids moved on, the piano was stored until Maas rescued it, moved it to Melbourne and brought it back to life.
The old piano is Maas’ favourite item in the house. “A piano is a good social instrument to have around. I like that it gets played by the kids now. The piano was shipped over from the Netherlands by my parents when we moved to Tasmania in the 1980s. It was our old study piano when we were kids,” says Maas. After the kids moved on, the piano was stored until Maas rescued it, moved it to Melbourne and brought it back to life.
A bank of double-hung windows, salvaged from a demolition site, provided the starting point for the layout of the back room.
As well as being used for entertaining, the back room is sometimes used as the recording space for Purcell’s band, The Pearly Shells.
The back porch enclosure was the biggest change the couple made to the existing home. A key feature is the far reaching grape vine trellis, built by Purcell and a builder friend.
The garden furniture is a mix of new pieces and upcycled finds.
The garden furniture is a mix of new pieces and upcycled finds.
Across from the back of the house lies the sleeper/studio. Maas and Purcell wasted no time acquiring skills in building and landscaping, which helped them manage their budget and upgrade their home. The couple clad the backyard sleeper/studio after Purcell and his brother-in-law, Ruben, installed foundations and framing. Other materials for the shed came from auctions, salvage/demolition yard and secondhand wood suppliers. The couple plans to place pavers between the two structures underneath the shade tree.
Inside the sleeper/studio lies one of Purcell’s many radiograms. There are six more radiograms stored in the shed. The walls are lined with plywood sheeting and painted white for a brighter and larger feel.
In the opposite corner of the block is a new storage shed, also built by Purcell and friends.
Maas suggests starting the garden as soon as possible after moving in. “Many people wait or even treat it as an afterthought. You want the garden to grow into itself and become less rigid, this will make it feel like home sooner,” says Maas.
Maas suggests starting the garden as soon as possible after moving in. “Many people wait or even treat it as an afterthought. You want the garden to grow into itself and become less rigid, this will make it feel like home sooner,” says Maas.
An outdoor bathroom lies behind the storage shed, servicing the sleeper/studio and backyard entertaining. The couple plans to add an outdoor shower and privacy screen.
Maas and Purcell’s best discovery is a strip of unused land behind their block. The beyond-the-backyard garden hangout is a favourite spot for all and especially of the boys’ when their parents are entertaining.
The outdoor space features a fire pit, a hammock and propagating potted cuttings. Maas imagines a horse might keep well there, but then it would need a companion pony!
This animated suburban block continues to shape into an ever-changing home that accommodates the family’s productions in music, building, gardening and fine arts.
TELL US
What do you like about this lush oasis of a home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The outdoor space features a fire pit, a hammock and propagating potted cuttings. Maas imagines a horse might keep well there, but then it would need a companion pony!
This animated suburban block continues to shape into an ever-changing home that accommodates the family’s productions in music, building, gardening and fine arts.
TELL US
What do you like about this lush oasis of a home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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A house and a living space that exudes life and creativity . So much nicer than he soulless minimalist houses that are designed more for other people to admire than for the inhabitants to live in. Each to their own but i could live in something similar.
Nothing here fits in with what I would do but I love every inch of this house. From the sound of her name and the painting I worked out that she must be from holland.