Casting caution to the wind, this family home's signature style is a lesson in whimsy and nostalgia

WORDS ROSANNE PEACH PHOTOGRAPHY DEREK SWALWELL STYLING WENDY BANNISTER

When interior decorator Amanda Henderson-Marks finds something a little old, a little worn and a lot loved on one of her regular jaunts to the tip, salvage yard, antique store or country market, you can be sure it's not going to end up gathering dust in a cupboard or drawer. "If I love something, I want to look at it," she says of her display-everything approach. "Your house is your home; you've got to have the stuff that makes you happy out, not hidden away!" In the dining room, this plays out with old sheets of music which she's artfully tacked up to create a visual symphony; in the hallway, a group of old letters on the dado rail; and in the kitchen, a whimsical collection of bird cages.

More a curator than decorator, Amanda trusts that all her found objects, no matter how disparate, will work together - and they do. What's more, while she's come from a career at the top end of the interiors ladder, having worked for Liberty in London, Osborne & Little and other exclusive textile companies, Amanda decorates on the thriftiest of budgets. Teaming up with Melbourne's queen of vintage, Lyn Gardener, Amanda formed interior decoration company Gardener & Marks with the mantra that even the everyday is art and you don't have to break the bank. "I have so many walls in this house and you don't have to buy expensive things to put on them," says Amanda, referring to some old wire baskets she found and has hung in the dining room. "People don't think vertically, they just think horizontally. I got the baskets and put them on a table and they were nothing. They were beautiful close up but they're nothing unless they're hanging. I see the house as one big art gallery!"

To create the right canvas, Amanda and her husband Mick renovated their old Victorian terrace eight years ago, pulling down an old lean-to out the back and adding an extension for the kitchen, bathroom and living area. By including lots of large windows, finished with white shutters, and opening up the hallway with a second arch to match the original, the home is now light and spacious.

Elegant chandeliers are dotted throughout as a legacy to Amanda's shabby chic phase, which she admits was a bit of a trial for Mick. "He's a landscaper, so there he was in his work boots - tradie and shabby chic, it just didn't work," she says ruefully. "Eventually, we decided what we both liked, found some furniture and re-covered it in linen and the home became a bit more masculine, a bit more industrial."

While Mick's domain is the outdoors, he and his ute are often called upon come rummaging time and even their two children, Isaac and Gywennyth, get in on the act. "My son has a great eye. He spots the best things in a tip," exclaims Amanda. "When he comes along with Lyn and me, he can't believe all the laughing and squealing that goes on is work! If it weren't for work, we'd be doing it anyway. It's just part of our lives."

Inside Story

Who lives here? Amanda Henderson-Marks, an interior decorator; her husband Mick, a landscape gardener; their son Isaac, eight; daughter Gwennyth, four; and their 11-year-old Jack Russell, India.
When you get home from a busy day, you... Amanda: "Tweak my house - I'm constantly rearranging things!"
Every home needs a... "Mixture of old pieces, either heirloom or found objects, and new pieces. I've got to have linen somewhere. I'm so in love with it - paired with velvet, of course."
Best space-enhancing trick? "Create vertical space by adding ladders and high display shelves. I am always trying to draw the eye to a different point. I think you need that balance. It's not always practical - people are like, ‘Why is there a ladder there?' - but it just makes the room work."
What's your vintage objet du jour? "Pictures of birds and landscapes, old jars to put pictures in, and old letters, maps and postcards."
Best lesson you'll take with you to your next home? "Pick one theme, even if you have to do it in stages. This house was done over eight years and had many themes all at once. We started again and created one theme that we love as a family. "
Advice for those wanting a similar look? "Put similar pieces that you have collected in clusters and don't be afraid to show off your collectables. Stick to a neutral scheme with lots of white, low-toned colours and accent finds."