Turning a modest and dated 1914 home into a modern and welcoming house for seven was never going to be easy but Miriam and Ari Loren aced it
FEATURE SEÁN O’CONNELL
SITTING ROOM
Black wall cabinets and accents add drama to the neutral scheme.
KITCHEN-DINER
Quartzite surfaces are sleek yet practical at they are easy to maintain.
FAMILY ROOM
The perfect place to relax or do homework.
MAIN BEDROOM
Dividing the space to make a seating area was a luxe choice.
With five boys, Miriam and Ari Loren needed a house that would give ample space. ‘We could see this place had the potential for extending, but it was so decrepit that one of our boys said it was like a house from a low-budget horror movie,’ smiles Miriam. They clearly weren’t that scared, because they bought the house and, with advice from architect John Woodruff, extended and reconfigured it to create the open-plan space a family of seven needs. The house had a Mediterranean feel so John added features, such as the ground-floor arches that create a vista from the dining room to the sitting room. ‘He dubbed the style “modern-terranean”,’ says Miriam.
For the interior, the couple turned to designer Malka Helft of Think Chic Interiors. Her main challenge was to help create an interior that felt like the family’s true home. ‘The owners and I were on the same page,’ she says. ‘As a result, I felt they really trusted my design choices.’ And an area in which she earned that trust was in the lively colour scheme throughout that reflects the personality of the family. Warm greys and creams complement the rich hues of the natural wood flooring, while pops of green, yellow and red make the house feel warm and inviting. Not taking all the credit, Malka modestly says the colour choices were inspired by the owners’ tastes and sense of style.
For Malka it was important to create an individual look for each space that reflected the intended function of the room. So the sitting room enjoys a relaxed, elegant scheme, as seen
