See the seasons from on high

At myplace

Melbournebased illustrator Kelly Thompson gives us a peek inside her airy ‘‘treehouse’’.

Kiwi illustrator Kelly Thompson lives in a ‘‘big wooden box up in the trees’’ in Melbourne with her husband, restauranteur Christian McCabe, her beagle Billie and ginger cat Butter.

Thompson started her career as a fashion photographer in New Zealand, but after being inspired by the models she shifted her career to illustrating and started her own creative consultancy and illustration agency, Maker’s Mgmt.

If she were to describe her style, she would call it ‘‘warm and transitioning’’ and said she considered the lounge as her favourite room in the house, especially in Melbourne’s cool winter months.

‘‘It’s the sunniest warmest spot in the house, which is so good in the winter,’’ Thompson said,

‘‘I also love how we can slide across all of the windows on warm days. They all stack away so it becomes a big open air room.

‘‘It’s really nice to be up in the trees and watch the seasons changing.’’

Where is your home and who lives there with you?

I live in Abbotsford, which is a lovely green suburb close to the river with lots of greenery.

It’s so close to the city, but you still feel close to nature. I live with my husband Christian McCabe – he’s a restauranteur and has a couple of restaurants here, The Town Mouse and Embla in the city. We have two fur kids, Billie the beagle and Butter the fat ginger cat.

What is your favourite room in the house?

At the moment it’s the lounge because it’s the sunniest warmest spot which is so good in the winter. I also love how we can slide across all of the windows on warm days. They all stack away so it becomes a big open-air room. It’s really nice to be up in the trees and watch the seasons changing, although at the moment it’s a little sad without all the leaves outside.

In the summer the favourite room is different because with all the windows in the lounge (and Melbourne temperatures) we cook, so I’m in the process of turning the second floor which was previously my studio into a lounge room. It’s darker and more cosy and once I get a rug and a new lamp will be a little hideaway.

What is your proudest DIY moment?

Unfortunately we rent, so there isn’t much DIY permitted, the closest I get to DIY is dragging the table and chairs over so I can hang pictures up high ... probably not recommended.

What is the best-kept secret about the area you live in?

I would say Mavis the Grocer, a cute little cafe down the road that we go to once a week. They grow their produce, compost all their food waste and the staff are super nice once you get to know them. It’s fuss-free good food, no hype, I hate poser cafes. There are also many great walking tracks across the river from the Collingwood Children’s Farm just down the road. They’re less busy than the main tracks and so nice for clearing the head.

What is your favourite way of entertaining?

Christian is an incredible cook, me, not so much, but I make a great sous chef and ingredient chopper. He also has a wine distribution company so we are all about setting aside afternoons to cook and having friends over. We are also pretty lucky to have a pool in the backyard, so if the weather is right it’s barbecue and wines by the pool.

What is your favourite piece of furniture?

My giant vintage globe lamp definitely. I also really love my Minimalux Lamp from the Simon James Concept Store. I put a warmer bulb in it and it emits a beautiful soft light.

PHOTOS: KELLY THOMPSON ‘‘It’s four storeys tall and is a big wooden box up in the trees in a street full of old Victorians,’’ Thompson says of her Melborune rental home nicknamed ‘‘the Treehouse’’.

Butter the ‘‘fat ginger cat’’ perched by the window in Thompson’s living room. Billie the beagle is the other ‘‘fur kid’’.

Thompson purchased her couch from a vintage store in Brisbane six years ago and considers it, along with her lounge chairs, as the best money she spent on her home.

Floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to flood into the home all day.