Suzy Crittenden’s paint job is picture perfect

She planned to freshen up just one room of the two-storey house, but stylist Suzy Crittenden just kept on painting.

Suzy Crittenden with her cat Stella in the lounge room of her home in South Yarra. Picture: Aaron Francis

Paintbrushes, ladders and antique white paint became very familiar to vivacious Melbourne fashion stylist Suzy Crittenden, who painted the interior of her South Yarra house during the lockdown.

She planned to freshen up just one room of the two-storey house she shares with husband, cosmetic physician Dr David MacDonald, but just kept on painting with the help of a friend.

“It gave me a purpose to get up early every morning and start painting and was very satisfying, although I am sure I surprised a few friends,” says Crittenden.

The Caroline Street house that dates back to the 1900s was an eclectic design by an artist which featured myriad little rooms and was very dark.

The couple changed all that after they purchased the house 20 years ago.

“It was quite a big renovation to open up those rooms and extend the back to embrace the swimming pool with glass extensions, then add polished floorboards and the limestone flooring,” Crittenden says.

Melbourne interior designer Richard Gaskin of Momu added his touches, while garden architect Rick Eckersley designed the low maintenance garden, which includes gardenias and hedging.

A sitting room in Suzy Crittenden's home in South Yarra. Picture: Aaron Francis

Crittenden says she wouldn’t alter a thing about the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, because it flows so well and is perfect for entertaining, which the couple both love.

“Whether it is just the two of us sitting around or 120 people for a party, it caters for all,” she says.

The couple had their surprise wedding at the house in 2001 and history repeated itself recently when lockdown restrictions cut Crittenden’s daughter, Sophie’s wedding guests from 120 to 20 at home.

Big on entertaining, the couple love to cook and also have an extensive cellar filled with Australian and international wines.

“The kitchen is my favourite place as it looks out to the pool and the living room,” she says.

“We usually start off with a casual entree such as ceviche or oysters around the long black kitchen bench and then head outside for another course and then back to the dining room.

“David is fantastic at barbecuing and cooking and we love trying new recipes — Moreton Bay bugs are our favourite at the moment.”

Crittenden, who has always worked in fashion, was a catwalk and photographic model for the now closed Georges of Collins Street, and the Australian Wool Board.

She later worked for Australian fashion label Dominex and now represents several New ­Zealand knitwear companies and has her own fashion consulting business, Suzy Crittenden Fashion Solutions.

Suzy Crittenden's wine cellar. Picture: Aaron Francis

She describes herself as a fairy godmother when it comes to wardrobe transformations and loves helping women find their particular style.

To cater for extra carparking at their home they purchased an ivy-covered laneway where her clients can park, which she describes as a bonus as the street is so busy.

Both she and MacDonald, who established Collins Cosmetic Clinic in Collins Place, where he specialises in non-surgical procedures, love their art.

Their walls feature six striking works by Bruno Leti, and in the hallway you will find Cocky Cock, a quirky painting by Adam Cullen, an Archibald winner known.

A large Indigenous painting, from Ernabella Arts in South Australia, sits above an antique chest with their collection of pretty decanters that they picked up on their travels.

Their favourite is from Luang Prabang in Laos.

Lots of natural light features throughout the house, with the inclusion of a large skylight above the staircase.

The spacious bedrooms have a leafy outlook and the master and second bedrooms have balconies.

Crittenden changes cushions around and adds special pieces each year to give a room a new look.

A keen golfer and swimmer, she does squad training three mornings a week at the Prahran outdoor pool, regardless of the weather.

“I love the people I swim with and it’s great exercise and even when it’s three degrees in winter I plunge in — it’s much more than following the black lines.”

When she has spare time at home, she loves sitting in the living area and looking out to the garden, a moment she often shares with their Burmese cat, Stella.

The couple both love travel and often purchase special treasures on their trips and there’s always time for clothes shopping — in the name of research.

“I have a very patient husband and I do a lot of research when we are away discovering the new trends and checking out fashion houses,” she says.

“Fashion has always played a big part in my life and you don’t have to have a lot in your wardrobe, just a few special pieces that work well.”

The couple love the location of their house, that’s a short walk to the Botanic and Burnley Gardens and the Yarra River.

“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” she says.