When Alishia Misevski and her fiancé Lenny Redrose bought their Mornington, Victoria house last year, they hoped to complete a cosmetic makeover before the imminent arrival of their first child.

Alishia recalls, ‘I knew it needed the obvious lick of paint and new carpets, but once we inspected it closely, I knew it was slowly morphing into a much bigger job.’

In a sadly relatable tale, that quick cosmetic update soon became a full blown renovation, ensuring the faux Federation-style home would be comfortable and efficient to run for decades to come.

‘We basically gutted the entire home, insulated, plastered, waterproofed, built a few new walls, knocked a few out, and changed the colour scheme,’ Alishia says.

Here, Alishia shares exactly what she achieved, learned, and spent along the way in designing and renovating her family home.

Living room and kitchen

Alishia describes the previous state of her Mornington home interior as ‘50 shades of burgundy,’ which she transformed into a cohesive and luxurious palette of navy blue, forest greens, and brass finishes.

There were a lot of unforeseen challenges along the way, starting with the home’s lack of insulation.

‘We discovered this due to my sheer need of removing the [existing faux period] rose cornices. They HAD to go!’ says Alishia.

‘Once they began removing the old plaster, we discovered there was no insulation and about seven bags of unused insulation were stored in the roof…

‘Although this was a costly choice, we now have a very well insulated home.’

After tackling that necessity, Alishia was able to focus on designing the cosmetic elements.

‘In a way, there are coloured zones that I have tried to incorporate together,’ she says. ‘I didn’t want a bland home, but knew I had to be careful where I added the colour as I am a Libra who changes her mind constantly!

Starting with a classic base of Dulux Charmed White on the walls, and Dulux Lexicon Quarter on the cornices and skirting boards, Alishia began layering the space with natural stone and bold colour on the kitchen cabinets.

‘We replaced the old Tasmanian oak island with a CDK Stone benchtop in Santa Lucia Marble, and added a shaker style kitchen in Porter’s Paints Yacht Race.

‘We also converted the old pantry into a bar, with a beautiful bronze mirror splashback to open the space as well as modernise it.’

A new butler’s pantry borrows space from the formal lounge, creating more storage and a recessed food prep station and sink for Lenny, who uses a wheelchair.

‘He loves to cook, so it was super important to have a place where he can move freely, prep food, and wash dishes easily,’ says Alishia.

En suite

The biggest structural change was made to the main bedroom’s walk-in wardrobe and en suite, which were extended in size (overtaking a spare bedroom) to be more luxurious in feel, and accessible for Lenny.

‘By recessing the vanity and having a wide walk-in shower, this allows him enough space to function freely and make it accessible, without the need for ‘accessible’ bathroom accessories, such as handrails,’ says Alishia.

Alishia had the most fun designing this warm and textured space, starting with the patterned tiles on the floor.

Glazed porcelain tiles with chiselled edges evoke a handcrafted look in the shower, contrasted with terracotta subway tiles behind the vanity, and brass tapware to finish.

Bathroom

The existing main bathroom was one of the most dated elements of the house, inspiring a total cosmetic overhaul featuring marble look check tiles on the floor, rectangular porcelain tiles climbing halfway up the wall, and Dulux Lamb’s Ears Half paint on the upper wall.

‘It was dreamed up from our trip to Puglia,’ says Alishia. ‘There, we stayed in an apartment which featured olive green tiles, and I knew from that moment I was going to design a green bathroom.’

Alishia also introduced a double vanity, porcelain bench top, walk-in shower, and clawfoot bath tub, and a fluted glass window.

The laundry continues the same colour scheme and tiles to complete the ‘green quarters’ of the home.

Outdoor areas

Alishia and Lenny worked with Lotus Landscaping to give the pool area and garden a significant refresh.

‘Yellow pavers originally lined the pool… and the garden beds were overgrown and messy with multiple colours which felt too busy,’ says Alishia.

‘We streamlined it all, replacing the entire area with bluestone pavers that picked up on the blue and grey in the house bricks.

‘We closed off the pool area with a beautiful glass fence, and replaced the garden bed with English box hedges and red geraniums. White jasmine will climb the fences once they grow.’

Wheelchair entry into the home was made possible with a ramp and lifts.

‘The ramp out the front of our house connects the driveway to the verandah,’ says Alishia. ‘It was designed by Lenny and it blends seamlessly, making it feel as if it were always a part of the home.

‘Lenny also added an accessible lift to our backyard verandah. This was vital in creating accessibility from the indoors out.’

Lessons learned

Alishia’s biggest advice to budding renovations: don’t go in with a strict or short timeline (‘This only adds unnecessary stress and can create costly mistakes due to needing everything done so quickly!’) and be prepared for the unknown.

‘Certain unforeseen circumstances like the plaster and insulation were not originally planned for, and then of course the choice in materials and unrealistic deadlines,’ Alishia says,

‘I was pregnant during this renovation, so we were really adamant on having our baby in this home, which did not happen!’

The entire project couldn’t have been done without the help of Alishia’s dad, Nick Misevski — a qualified builder who she turned to for advice at every step.

‘His hands have literally left a mark here,’ says Alishia.

‘Big Nick passed away two weeks before I wrote this, so being able to tell my renovation story, I’m instantly flooded with the beautiful memories of him working here.

‘I can tell my son one day that his dedo (grandfather in Macedonian) helped build this spectacular home with so much love.’

Budget breakdown

Benchtops (kitchen, bathrooms, en suite and laundry): $4500
Tapware (kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry): $3273
Tiles (bathrooms and laundry): $10,867
Sinks (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry): $1878
Shower screens + mirrors: $18,000
Cabinetry (kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, internal storage, WIR): $60,000
Handles (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry): $2,996
Marble benchtops, splashback, and shelf in kitchen: $19,000
Lighting (kitchen, bathrooms, main bedroom, dining, hallway): $4224
Hardwood floors (including labour): $35,000
Paint (whole house, internal and external): $45,000
Appliances: $8359
Landscaping: $65,000
Outdoor decking: $5000
Pizza oven: $11,000
Electric awning: $9000
Pool works: $5000
Plumbing: $15,000
Windows: $10,000
Ramp: $5000
Concrete: $6500
Brickwork: $5000
AV + CCTV: $7000
Additional labour and trades: $243,403

Renovation total: $600,000