Nick McDonald’s West Melbourne home has evolved with his life over the past 15 years.

He purchased the converted warehouse apartment back in 2011, which in turn led to founding his handcrafted furniture and design studio Made by Morgen.

Nick explains, ‘The apartment only had one bedroom [when I bought it], but I was able to reconfigure the layout to maintain the living space and add a second bedroom.

‘It was in this period, while I was working for a commercial builder, that after redesigning the layout and making the furniture I decided I would endeavour to change career paths and ended up doing Made by Morgen.’

The West Melbourne building was originally built in 1856, and became home to the TB Guest Biscuit Factory (which later merged with Arnott’s) in the 1930s, before being converted into apartments in the 2000s.

After many years living in the home, Nick was inspired to update his apartment — which he now shares with his partner Anaïs Marie Gaïd Molé and their four-year-old son Charlie — during the pandemic.

‘For a period of time we weren’t allowed to manufacture furniture due to regulations, but we were able to make joinery, so I thought it was time to revamp the place!’ says Nick.

‘Living in the space really informed each step of the process as our needs and family changed.’

The focus of the second renovation was making the home more functional. The kitchen in particular needed more storage, without losing the minimal look of the home.

‘The original kitchen I built in 2012 was made from leftover form ply scavenged from building sites, so it was in desperate need of an upgrade!’ Nick says.

His new kitchen design features more bench and cupboard space across the back wall, island bench and hallway including an integrated fridge and pantry.

White walls, American oak joinery, and new parquetry floors by Made by Storey replace the apartment’s predominately black interior scheme (except for the joinery benchtops in Porter’s Paints Black Sea) to create an overall lighter space.

Nick also made most of the Danish-inspired loose furniture in American oak for the space, including the dining table, chairs, and even the speakers.

‘I wanted the space to reflect what we do best at Made by Morgen and surround ourselves with our designs (mostly prototypes) to see and feel what it is like to live with our pieces day to day,’ he says.

‘Our home really has become the place where we refine the designs and that then trickles down into our workshop and practice.’

The building’s original west-facing windows, ceiling rafters, and exposed brick walls are still very much highlighted in the updated space… it’s just little more suited to everyday family living now!

The family’s favourite place to be is the window seat, watching the sun setting on the ship cranes in the distances, which Charlie thinks are dinosaurs!