Erin’s House

Erin, who was a year above me at school, commissioned this house drawing. It’s her family home, where her mum Helen still lives. Since drawing the house, I’ve been inside for a cup of tea and chatted about the house, which was incredibly special. The inside is just as interesting as the outside. There is a lot of open, wood shelving and lovely little details like a reading nook and a space with an outside bath.

 The house was bought in 1991 and renovated by Timothy Hill, one of the architects who worked on the State Library. The budget for the house was small, very small, and even now the house is a work in progress. Helen loved how collaborative the design process was and the community of builders that lived in the house and ate dinner with them every night during its construction.

I love being invited into a home that I am drawing. In part, it’s because I’m nosy and curious, but also because it’s people and their possessions that make a house into a home and I love seeing that in action.