Inside the old Melbourne heritage home that's just won a prize at the Dulux Colour Awards: 'Breathtaking'
The Elonera House project, undertaken by Studio Doherty, was recently recognised in the 2025 Dulux Colour Awards and named the winner in the coveted Residential Interior category.
Studio Doherty, led by Mardi Doherty, took to their Instagram account after the win to say they were 'still pinching ourselves' about the victory.
But a glimpse at the beautiful interior images of the Sandringham home confirms the renovation is more than deserving of the top accolade.
The Bayside suburb project set out to transform a tired, singe-level, weatherboard period home 'into a welcoming sanctuary for a growing family'.
The team was posed with the added challenge of staying within the home's existing footprint – while converting it into an elegantly designed space with a functional layout.
The project rationale described it as a 'thoughtful reconfiguration' utilising 'a refined material palette'.
The plan was to 'celebrate the original Edwardian charm while creating intimate, light-filled spaces that connect with the garden, offering both warmth and modern functionality'.
The end result is a renovation that has a modern aesthetic, while honouring many of the home's original period elements, like the heritage architraves, fretwork and skirting.
Even the 90s extension area is playfully nodded to with that section of the house sculpted in light timber.
Colour-wise, the judges' were captivated by the homes' use of a palette of graceful tones, inspired by its surrounding gardens.
This is echoed throughout the design through the use of earthy yellows and light blues alongside matte and glossy finishes.
A distinct cherry-painted door marks the transition between the original house and its contemporary back area.
The bold kitchen is a particular standout in the project, with the space delineated by a curved bulkhead that wraps around the kitchen.
The splashback is covered in glistening yellow tiles and complements a quartzite covered island bench top. Together, these luxe warm tones unite the kitchen and carry on through to the adjacent living space.
Overall, the final result is a house that exudes warmth, elegance, relaxation and functionality - making it a clear winner at the recent awards.
The Dunstan House project was commended for its use of a 'Yellow Varnish' paint on external aspects of the home, which cleverly tied interior and exterior living spaces
In the other highly competitive category of Single Residential Exterior, the winner was Melbourne project Dunstan House by SSdH.
The SSdh designed home in the north-east suburb of Preston was particularly commended for its use of the Dulux shade 'Yellow Varnish' on external aspects of the house.
The colour was cleverly used as a connecting device between the interior and exterior living spaces, while also adding visual warmth and framing.
As explained in the project rationale, the paint 'impacted on the colours around it'.
'On a clear day, it brings the sky into focus and in the evening, it reflects a glowing warmth onto the brick walls and timber-lined interior.'
Like the interior winner, the judges' appreciated the Dunstan House project's ability to play into its original 'true to character' elements.
In the case of this project, this was evident in the display of an imperfect layered brick finish.
A judges' statement provided to FEMAIL confirmed that a common thread among this year's winner was a preference for honouring 'architectural heritage' and design that championed retro and vintage influences, as well as the 'striking use of singular colour as a design device'.
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