A Designer’s Heartfelt Family Home, Shaped By Love, Loss + Renewal
Interiors
The Parkdale family home.
The living room.
A poolside entertaining area.
Owner and architect Stefania describes the home’s aesthetic as ‘refined minimalism with a Mediterranean soul.’
The sleek kitchen.
Green hues add character to the polished interiors.
Stefania says the project teams at Mainbrace Construction, Stanmore Ceramics, Elite Mechanical Solutions, JDV Plumbing and Euroform Joinery became like family after her husband’s passing and helped her complete the renovation.
A spiral staircase leads to the bedrooms upstairs.
Skylights were carefully added throughout part of the transformation.
‘Every decision was made to enhance the sense of calm and belonging,’ Stefania says.
A playful mosaic of blue tiles in the bathroom.
For Stefania Calarco, her picture-perfect Parkdale residence is so much more than just a beautiful place to live.
It’s a testament to her family’s resilience and an ode to her late husband Simon, who devastatingly passed away in 2024.
‘This home carries our story,’ the Italian architect and designer says.
‘The design was completed before my husband’s passing — he, as a senior contract administrator at Mainbrace Construction, proudly managed the site. He used to smile and say: “My wife is the wonderful mind; I’m just the builder.”’
The couple first moved into the home in 2015. At the time, they were a family of three, drawn to the potential and humble nature of the small brick veneer property, which they enhanced with a small renovation focused on expanding the interior spaces and unlocking new natural light.
‘It offered a blank canvas, a quiet structure that could evolve into something refined and meaningful without losing its authenticity,’ Stefania says of the home’s bones.
By 2022, Stefania and Simon decided a second renovation was needed to accommodate their growing family of five.
‘This phase was about refinement, transforming the home into something more architectural, layered, and deeply personal,’ she says.
The home’s existing design language inspired the new elevated aesthetic, which Stefania describes as ‘refined minimalism with a Mediterranean soul’.
The kitchen and the living areas now make up the lively heart of the family home. Soft-green coloured joinery and an island bench topped with green-marbled stone set the tone for the lounge room beyond, complete with skylights overhead, a sculptural staircase connecting to upstairs, and an inviting outdoor area with a pool.
But the project was sadly unfinished when Simon passed last year, leaving Stefania to carry out their shared vision with the enduring support of Mainbrace.
‘Their generosity and sensitivity in helping me manage the site was a true gift. Together, we completed the house in six months,’ she says.
‘My husband’s presence remains everywhere: in the precision of the details, in the soft movement of light, in the quiet strength of the materials. This home stands as both a tribute and a continuation — transforming grief into gratitude, and love into architecture.’
Now, it’s a true sanctuary in every sense of the word.
‘It evolved from a practical family space into a place that reflects who we’ve become: connected, resilient, and full of life,’ Stefania says.