Campbell House: A Restoration-First Renovation by Nuud Studio

Two years ago, we shared the sensitively renewed “bush modernist” home of architect Brad Mitchell and interior designer Kerli Valk—a thoughtful renovation that won a 2023 Australian Interior Design Awards Commendation and a 2023 Houses Award for Sustainability. Now the couple, founders of Melbourne-based Nüüd Studio, have produced another award-winning design by following the same successful formula: maximize natural light, create functional flow, focus on exquisite joinery. And, above all else, where possible, make the most of what’s already there.

“One of the most effective ways to manage a budget is to work with the existing character and materials of a building rather than trying to contradict them,” says Kerli. Here, she expounds on the idea.

“When we first saw the property, much of the interior was a combination of pine lining boards, bagged brick, and whitewashed timber ceilings. At the time it felt quite dark and dated, and understandably it was difficult for the clients to imagine how those elements could form part of a new, more contemporary interior.

“Rather than removing them, we looked at how color, texture, and light could change the way they were perceived. The existing ceilings were left largely untouched, the brick walls were celebrated rather than concealed, and the pine-clad walls were painted.

“Retaining these elements was probably one of the largest savings in the project, but it also gave the finished interior much more character. We are often more interested in transforming what is already there than replacing it. Sometimes a relatively light intervention—a change in color, texture or the way light reaches a surface—can completely alter how an existing material is experienced.”

Photography by Sean Fennessey, courtesy of Nüüd Studio.

Above: Brad and Kerli were tapped to remodel a compact 1980s townhouse for a family of four. “The biggest challenge was the lack of natural light on the ground floor,” says Kerli. “Our main task became finding a way to bring light further into the plan without unnecessarily rebuilding everything.” The wood ceiling and brick walls are all original to the home; the blackbutt flooring is new.
Above: The Karimoku CaseN–LC02 Lounge Chair is by Norm Architects; the Layette Floor Lamp is by Fomu; the Ace Triangular Table is by dBodhi; the Tribeca Sofa is by United Strangers; the rug is from Halcyon Lake’s Chromatic Checks collection.
Above: The kitchen is concealed just behind a new wood cabinet that doubles as a partition. “The joinery does much more than provide storage. It became one of the main tools for reorganizing the ground floor—defining the kitchen, dining, and living areas while keeping the plan visually open,” says Kerli. The painting is by Kate Tucker.
Above: “The kitchen in particular is broken into individual, furniture-like elements rather than reading as one large built-in object.We really enjoy joinery that feels architectural but still has the warmth and scale of furniture. Here, the detailing, timber, stone and carefully considered proportions bring a quiet richness to what are otherwise quite simple spaces.”
Above: Clay red, cream, and pale green dominate the palette. The brick walls were given a fresh coat of Porter’s Paints’ Icelandic Stone; the cabinets are painted Dulux’s Rich Loam and topped with a slab of red Corazio marble.
Above: “The kitchen no longer acts as a barrier; instead, it helps organize the space while maintaining a much stronger connection between the interior, daylight and courtyard garden. It was quite a simple shift in planning, but it fundamentally changed how the ground floor feels,” says Kerli.
Above: All the joinery was cust0m-made by Mood Workshop. Some of the original windows in the home feature textured glass, so the designers opted to bring that element to this new storage unit. “Continuing that language felt like a natural response rather than introducing something completely new.”
Above: The view from the kitchen toward the living room. The Korento Dining Table is by CondeHouse; the Carved Dining Chairs are by Ariake; and the pendant light is by Ferm Living (for something similar, try this).
Above: The laundry room is also on the first floor. The round metal laundry chute on the ceiling “connects the upstairs hallway directly to the laundry below,” explains Kerli. “It is a small detail, but one that the family with young children has found particularly useful. We like these moments where something very practical can be integrated almost playfully into the design.”
Above: The second floor landing. All the original wood paneled walls are now painted Porter’s Paints’ Old Moss. “By removing the strong yellow timber color, the linear texture of the boards suddenly became much more prominent and gave the walls a fresh, graphic quality,” says Kerli. The Frame II Chair is by Fomu.

See also:

• Steal This Look: A Melbourne Kitchen Inspired By the Library
• A Rising Design Star Introduces Warmth and Familiarity to a Sweeping New Build in Melbourne
• Channeling 1970s California Style: Sun Ranch Resort in Byron Bay, Australia