St Kilda East Apartment

Set within a midcentury older style apartment in Melbourne’s leafy St Kilda East, this renovation was driven by a desire to preserve the home’s original retro personality while thoughtfully refreshing it for modern living. Rather than stripping away its charm, we embraced its mid-century origins and answered our clients brief, introducing playful colour, soft curves and bespoke detailing to create a home that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly contemporary.

At Eclectic Creative, we believe the most sustainable homes are the ones we choose to preserve. This project is a reflection of that philosophy—proving that thoughtful renovation isn’t about making a home unrecognisable, but about enhancing what already exists.

The greatest transformation came not from increasing the apartment’s footprint, but from carefully refining the way each space functions. Through intelligent space planning, custom joinery and considered material selections, the home now feels brighter, more connected and effortless to live in.

Good design begins with understanding how people live, and really good space planning.

Throughout this renovation, every planning decision was driven by improving the everyday experience of the home. Rather than chasing trends or unnecessary structural changes, the focus was on creating spaces that flow intuitively, maximise storage and celebrate the apartment’s existing character.

The result is a home that feels calm, functional and timeless—one where every square metre works harder without sacrificing warmth or personality.

The original kitchen restricted movement  and lacked the functionality needed for modern living. By removing the existing peninsula, we dramatically improved circulation and introduced a compact retro inspired custom island that has become the heart of the home, and the talking point!

Designed as both a practical workstation and sculptural focal point, the retro-inspired island incorporates generous drawer storage, a beautifully curved plinth that allows stools to tuck neatly beneath, and ample preparation space for cooking, entertaining and everyday moments together. Despite the apartment’s modest footprint, the island creates a surprisingly social kitchen without overwhelming the space and improves the circulation between the casual meals area and kitchen, making the overall space feel much larger too.

Bespoke joinery maximises storage while introducing gentle curves, open shelving and thoughtful detailing that references the apartment’s mid-century character in a fresh, contemporary way. A tiled window ledge provides the perfect place for herbs and indoor plants, while bifold joinery conceals a cleverly integrated coffee station—allowing everyday appliances to disappear when not in use.

Like many older apartments, storage was limited and the existing laundry struggled to meet the demands of daily life.

A complete reconfiguration transformed the room without increasing its footprint. Relocating the washing machine and dryer into a stacked configuration allowed space for a full-height utility cupboard while dramatically increasing uninterrupted bench space for folding and everyday tasks.

The original linen storage was relocated into the hallway, making use of space previously occupied by the heating system and freeing valuable storage within the laundry itself.

Rather than incorporating overhead cabinetry, our clients chose retractable drying racks to maintain an open, light-filled space while providing a practical solution for air drying clothes. We even kept the retro security screen and is further enhanced, and made to feel right at home, with the retro inspired finishes of terrazzo tiles,  pastel toned laminate hand cut tiles.

It’s proof that the smallest rooms often benefit the most from thoughtful planning.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was preserving the apartment’s original personality.

Rather than replacing original features for the sake of newness, the design looked for opportunities to retain and celebrate what already existed. Original retro glass sliding doors were carefully restored and reinstated, replacing later additions that felt disconnected from the home’s architectural era. We also retained many of the existing light fixtures, such as the curved Italian made ceiling sconces in the kitchen.

The material palette offers a contemporary interpretation of mid-century design. Dusty blush and muted green cabinetry sit alongside warm oak timber, terrazzo flooring, tactile handmade tiles and a considered mix of chrome and brushed brass finishes. Together they create a home that feels playful, sophisticated and fresh whilst celebrating its history without becoming a period time capsule.

The bathroom was thoughtfully reconfigured to improve both functionality and the perception of space.

A generous shower where the wall was built out and tiled (less glass to clean) with fluted glass door detail and a custom integrated shower niche to house all the necessary shampoo bottles, while terrazzo surfaces and soft blush wall tiles continue the material language established throughout the apartment.

One of our favourite details is the relationship between the custom vanity and bath, allowing the vanity bench-top to extend alongside the bath and maximise usable surface space while maintaining balanced proportions. The original under-window storage was also lovingly refurbished with new mirrored sliding doors, preserving another piece of the apartment’s history. The beautiful detail are those brushed brass and nickel starburst handles for that considered nod to the retro charm!

Every element was carefully considered to balance practicality with warmth, resulting in a bathroom that feels calm, generous and beautifully connected to the rest of the home.

The seperate adjoining powder room and seperate toilet carries the same material palette with a petite wall basin, and original retro mirror. We did suggest painting the walls or wallpapering in here for even additional pizazz, and it may be something our client adds to at a later date.

The best interiors are designed to evolve with the people who live in them.

Positioned within the living area, this bespoke joinery was intentionally designed at a slightly higher-than-standard desk height, allowing it to feel connected to the adjoining living space rather than reading as a dedicated home office. This subtle design decision gives the joinery remarkable flexibility, enabling it to evolve alongside the family’s changing needs.

While it currently serves as a creative workspace, complete with integrated storage and perforated pinboards for organising inspiration and everyday essentials, it has been designed with the future in mind. As the family’s needs change, it can effortlessly transition into a study area for growing children, a home bar for entertaining, or simply beautifully crafted living room joinery.

Warm oak cabinetry conceals practical storage below, while floating shelves provide space for books, artwork, plants and treasured objects, bringing warmth and personality to the room. Rather than feeling like fitted office furniture, the joinery reads as an architectural feature, reinforcing the apartment’s calm, collected aesthetic while supporting the way the home will be lived in for many years to come.

This renovation is a celebration of thoughtful design, intelligent space planning and the enduring beauty of older homes.

By carefully refining the layout, designing bespoke joinery and embracing the apartment’s mid-century character, we created a home that feels brighter, more functional and deeply personal—one that honours its history while supporting the way our clients live today.

Great design isn’t measured by how different a home looks when it’s finished. It’s measured by how naturally it supports everyday life.

This St Kilda East apartment is proof that thoughtful renovation doesn’t require stripping away character. By respecting the home’s origins while carefully refining its function, we’ve created a timeless home that feels every bit as charming as the day it was built only now, it works beautifully for modern living.