Vivienne Gidakos turns her Melbourne cottage into a theatrical home of fashion and memories

Fashion stylist Vivienne Gidakos has shaped her two-bedroom Melbourne cottage into a personal expression of style, nostalgia and careful design. The home is filled with art, books and treasured objects, including the Vogue magazines she began collecting as a primary-school student. Gidakos, a regular at Melbourne fashion events, is known for pairing international fashion labels with emerging Australian designers and occasional high-street finds. Her eye for interiors was sharpened during years working in visual merchandising and store design for a national homewares brand. Finding the right property took almost two years, she says, because she wanted somewhere with character and a sense of surprise. The cottage’s original Victorian plasterwork, fireplaces and Baltic pine floors caught her attention. Earlier renovations had introduced industrial details, including galvanised iron and mesh around a mezzanine and corrugated metal lining in the ensuite. Gidakos viewed the mix of old and new as an ideal starting point for adding pieces she already loved. A palette of pink, red and black links the rooms, reflecting her taste for dramatic colour. She says fashion and interiors naturally overlap for her: the colours people love to wear are often the ones they want around them at home, and she prefers personal choices to passing trends. Her favourite space is the lounge room, where she reads and plans outfits. It also holds family memories and reflects her eclectic approach to decorating. A recent bathroom renovation has been the home’s only major update, she says. For now, her plans are to add to her art collection, refine her bookshelves and gradually develop the garden. Gidakos says she enjoys hearing visitors recognise the home as unmistakably hers.