Beci & Raph’s Art-Filled Home in Australia

Name: Beci Orpin, Author, Crafter, Designer, Probable Cringer of this introduction, with her talented family Raph, Tyke & Ari
Location: Brunswick West, Victoria, Australia
Size: 1,290 square feet
Years lived in: 7 years; Owned

I felt instantly at home stepping into Beci & Raph’s home. Despite being a stranger, Beci left me alone in her front “ex-studio” while she popped down the street for milk. A room filled with color, texture and interest, it was a fantastic entree to the house du jour.

An old Victorian terrace in a suburb full of character, Beci and her family have filled this home with a “Make and Do” aesthetic. Every item has been curated with love, made by Beci herself or talented artist friends and family. Many items have also been sourced locally, from the vibrant artist picking fields of Brunswick. Beci and Raph plan to renovate in the near future, but I do love the quirks and creaks of an older home (easy to say as a visitor!).

My Style: Colorful. Graphic. Eclectic (I hate that word, but am yet to find a better replacement)

Inspiration: The houses I grew up in and around in the mid-late 70s and early 80s, and our friends houses. I also like World of Interiors and Apartamento, and any voyeur house websites like Apartment Therapy, Freunde von Freuden and The Design Files.

Favorite Element: The light in our bedroom. Our new half pink wall in the lounge room.

Biggest Challenge: The typical perks of any Victorian era house — coping with the strange room layout and lack of light.

What Friends Say: We regularly have BBQ’s and dinner for our friends in our ‘hood, so we hope our friends say it feels like their house too. Sometimes they also say “Wow your house looks really clean today “ (It usually isn’t).

Biggest Embarrassment: So many embarrassments. For people who entertain and cook a lot — our kitchen is the worst. We hate the layout, the pantry is dark and dysfunctional, the 90s laminate benches are a terrible color and our oven door doesn’t close properly.

The downstairs toilet has no plaster. In fact there is plaster falling off lots of the walls. We are planning a renovation in the near future to deal with all these embarrassments. I’m sure we will miss them when they are gone.

Proudest DIY: That’s so hard! I make a lot of stuff for our house. We love decorating the house with any art any of us have made. Painting the stairs black was a challenge too.

Biggest Indulgence: Our ‘new’ (actually made in 1979) Cassina Maralunga sofa. Although we got it for a good price, it is pretty indulgent (and ridiculous) for us to have sofa in cream with two kids in the house. On the plus side it is made from Alpaca wool, which is one of the most naturally stain resistant fabrics. Also – art. We will always happily spend money on art and getting pieces framed.

Best Advice: Do what you love but be consistent. Invest in good pieces.

Dream Sources: Modern Times, Angelucci 20th Century, Mr Kitly, Third Drawer Down, Like Butter, Arro Home, Muji, Craft Victoria, Jardan, Marimekko. After Store.

• On the walls in Lounge: Dulux ‘Fairy Wings Half’

FRONT ROOM

• Rug : Garage Sale find
• Cushions : Various – Arro Home, Vallentine, Third Drawer Down, Etsy, Ikea, Ghost, Some designed and made by me.
• Quilts : Urban outfitters / Made by my grandmother
• Couch : Angelucci 20th Century
• Art : Vintage embroidery from Etsy
• Make & Do, Beci’s latest book

• Eames Hang it all
• Art in Hallway : Framed print by Rudin Rashid
• Deer painting : Vintage find.

• Bed: Ikea
• Duvet Cover & Pillowcases : Arro Home / Castle / Print Ink
• Rug : Arro Home
• Lamp : The Junk Company
• Pink Shapes Print : Kirra Jamison
• Tall Boy/s & Sideboard : Camberwell Market / Angelucci 20th century
• Art : various & numerous
• Bedside table : Greg Hatton
• Chair next to bed : The Junk Company
• Peach Throw : Caroline z Hurley from Mr Kitly
• Quilt with Stitch detail : Sourced from India
• Cushions : Castle and things – / Beneath the Sun / Arro Home / India
• Mirror : Second hand find.

• Bedlinen : Ikea / Marimekko / Third drawer Down
• Rug : Green – Arro Home / Smaller : flea market finds
• Quilt : sourced from India
• Green eye cushion : Arro Home
• Drawers : side of the road find!
• Art : Lemur – Miricomachiko : , Pineapple head : Misha Hollenbach , Other art: by kids / me / Etsy

• Shower curtain / towels : Marimekko, Muji
• Toiletries: Aesop
• Bathroom fittings: Grohe
• Basin : Villeroy and Boch
• Toilet : Kohler
• Tiles : The City Tiler

• Girl in Quilt – Conor O’Brien
• Trees – Chris Middlebrooke

• Cassina Sofa: Angelucci 20th Century
• Wooden cube shelving : Like Butter
• Coffee table / gold pot plant : Pop & Scott
• Containers & Shapes on shelving : Object and Totem, Torafu from Mr Kitly
• Green Eames Rocker : Modern Times
• White Eames Rocker : Ebay
• Lamp: Codename Tom
• Rug : Loom Rugs
• Cushions : Arro Home / Alice Oehr / Zuzunaga / Fine Little Day / The Vallentine Project
• Art : African barber shop from Lost & Found
• Large painting a collaboration pic by Raph, my sons and Kirra Jamison (40^th bday present) /
• Wall cluster Black city pic by Tyke / ‘Stay with me always’ by Espo – / Squash elephant by Christopher Neilson / Sugar Glider by Tai Snaith – all sourced at First and Fifteenth
• Crochet pot holder & Mobile by At Swim two birds (from Mr Kitly )
• Ice-cream Planter: Third Drawer Down

• Art on Sideboard : Venus de Milo by Alice Oehr / Jacket by Kirra Jamison/ Paper mache goat head & wooden shapes by Beci / Cardboard donut by Ari / Circle drawing by Tyke / “That’s the Shit” by James Jarvis / Small black & white drawing by Esther Olsson
• Art on Wall : Wolf painting by Ari / Head painting Brendan Huntley
• Featherston Chair : Angelucchi 20th Century
• Cushion : Fine Little Day
• Side table : The Junk Company

• Table : Angelucci 20th century
• Chairs: Grandfathers axe
• Shelves : Codename Tom

Thanks, Beci, Raph, Tyke & Ari!

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