Lynda Gardener sold on charms of inner terrace in Fitzroy North

Stylist Lynda Gardener knew she could make the warehouse work

Lynda Gardener at home in her North Fitzroy terrace. Picture: Aaron Francis

Lynda Gardener first saw the ­potential of her character-packed Fitzroy North warehouse when she lived next door.

The acclaimed interior stylist, decorator and boutique accommodation owner says she used to look down from her window onto the old Melbourne terrace, once a mattress factory.

“I used to think if ever that came up for sale I could really do something with it,” Gardener muses.

Gardener’s dreams became reality in 2008, when she purchased the Victorian era building, though she recalls it was in a “disgusting” state. “It had asbestos all the way through it and it was literally a rundown factory, a car yard through the centre and an old ­toilet block at the back.”

While the challenge may have deterred many, Gardener quickly renovated the building, taking three months to transform it into a welcoming, light-filled home boasting her much admired signature look – an eclectic and artistic blend of old and new furnishings and textured layers, presented in a monochromatic palette.

Lynda Gardener quickly renovated the building, taking three months to transform it into a welcoming, light-filled home boasting her much admired signature look – an eclectic and artistic blend of old and new furnishings and textured layers, presented in a monochromatic palette. Picture: Aaron Francis

The building’s internal walls were removed and a small kitchen built at the back of the main building, where bi-fold glass doors now open to a leafy private courtyard. Gardener also installed a heated concrete floor and converted the toilet block at the rear of the property into a charming self-contained studio.

On the main building’s top floor, three bedrooms were turned into one giant master room, featuring a bath tub in its centre, a pitched timber-lined ceiling and a working fireplace.

French doors now open from the bedroom to an east-facing rooftop garden, boasting a chic striped awning, lush Boston ivy and views over the buildings of Fitzroy, a suburb the creative Gardener loves.

“It’s only a 15 to 20-minute walk to the city from here,” she says. “Fitzroy is all galleries and art and cafes and gorgeousness – it’s one of the coolest areas.”

Gardener says she wanted to keep her home’s renovation ­simple.

“I never have big budgets – I keep it really simple and then I fill it with the furniture that I love or the art that I love.”

With a penchant for old paintings and drawings, Gardener says she loves fossicking for treasures in flea markets in Melbourne.

It’s an approach she has also ­applied in her five boutique ­accommodation properties in Melbourne and regional Victoria, a portfolio that started 16 years ago with the launch of the wildly successful The Whitehouse ­Daylesford.

“There’s definitely a signature through every house that people can see that they’re my homes, and I think it is the mix of old and new,” Gardener says.

“I’ve never just had new, it always has to have character with old art works, old furniture mixed in with a bit of new.”

Gardener says that while she adores colour, she never uses it in her homes, preferring to keep things “very monochromatic … neutral tones, autumnal colours, very natural and organic”. She adds: “The palette is really calming and soothing to me, plus it doesn’t date.”

During last year’s Covid lockdowns, the interior stylist collaborated with two friends – journalist and stylist Ali Heath and photographer Marnie Hawson – to produce a new book, Curate.

Launched in June, Curate is filled with ideas for creating a home with individual personality and showcases 10 inspirational residences, including Gardener’s properties.

Gardener, who ran the popular vintage lifestyle store Empire in Melbourne’s Albert Park for more than 20 years, says one of her key decorating tips is to buy old items.

“You can’t copy that. If you’ve got a one-off old piece, that’s going to be the feature and people will walk into your home and comment on it,” she says.

While her warehouse is the ideal home for one or two people, Gardener, who lives with her bordoodle puppy Buddy, says she would love another renovation challenge. Picture: Aaron Francis

With a penchant for old paintings and drawings, Gardener says she loves fossicking for treasures in flea markets in Melbourne, where she recommends the Camberwell markets, and on her overseas travels.

Eye-catching old artworks hang through the house, while other pieces lay in stacks against the walls.

Modern items in her home, such as the television and kitchen appliances, are kept in old storage cupboards and her lounges and beds are layered with beautiful linens bought overseas or locally from Bed Threads and Major Minor.

While her warehouse is the ideal home for one or two people, Gardener, who lives with her bordoodle puppy Buddy, says she would love another renovation challenge.

“I’m not actively looking, but if something came up that I thought ‘oh my goodness’, and it had original old wallpapers or something unique or special about it, yes I would move,” she says.

“But I certainly wouldn’t move out of the area – it’s the best.”

Originally published as Lynda Gardener sold on charms of inner terrace in Fitzroy North