This week on our Home Life Series, we’re stepping inside the sunlit Art Deco apartment of Jess Viscarde, founder and creative director of Melbourne’s boutique studio, Eclectic Creative. With a love for heritage homes and a knack for creating spaces that feel layered, collected, and full of personality, Jess has transformed her 1920s St Kilda apartment into a home that’s equal parts calm, playful, and utterly inviting.
From soaring ceilings and ornate plasterwork to soft green walls and whitewashed Baltic pine floors, every room reflects her signature approach: honouring the home’s original charm while weaving in contemporary function, warmth, and a few joyful surprises. Sculptural lighting, vintage treasures, and meaningful objects are layered thoughtfully throughout, giving the space a sense of history, heart, and personality.
Jess designs for how people actually live, not trends. This is a home that feels collected, not decorated — where every piece tells a story, and every space invites you to linger a little longer. Curious to see how she balances heritage character with modern living, and how even a modest footprint can feel rich with personality? Keep reading, every corner has a story to tell.
Hi Jess, thank you so much for welcoming us into your beautiful St Kilda Art Deco apartment. For those who may not know you, can you introduce yourself and share a little about what you do?
I’m Jess, an interior designer and the founder of Eclectic Creative. We specialise in heritage homes and considered renovations, creating spaces that feel layered, warm and lived-in. My work is focused on designing homes that reflect the people who live there, rather than following trends.
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Can you tell us about your journey into interiors and how Eclectic Creative came to life? We would also love to hear how intentional design shapes the way you approach your work today.
My journey into interiors evolved naturally over time after studying Industrial Design majoring in Furniture Design and then working as Graphic Designer and Marketing assistant at IKEA, previously. I launched Eclectic Creative upon moving to Melbourne from interstate, to study Interior Design, rather ambitious looking back as I knew no-one, but a great opportunity to meet people and so glad I did! I’ve always been drawn to older homes with character and the feeling a space can create. Eclectic Creative grew from that instinct, and from wanting to offer a more thoughtful, collaborative, down to earth and grounded approach to design.
Intentional design underpins everything we do. Every decision, from planning through to materials and finishes, is considered not only for how it looks, but how it will function and feel over time. It’s about creating spaces that last and feel cohesive, warm and layered.
We instantly felt at home the moment we walked through your doors. You have created such a calm and inviting space. How did you come across the apartment, and what first drew you to it?
Aww what a lovely compliment, thats exactly our ethos, and how we want our clients to feel when walking in to their own homes! We came across the apartment whilst we were searching for our first home, we were after a heritage apartment that hadn’t been touched or modernised. It was the original bones and proportions such as the soaring ceiling heights, the ornate plaster ceilings, original baltic pine floors, and all the timber detailing that drew us in straight away. It’s a 1920s Art Deco building with beautiful natural light thanks to the northern aspect, original detailing and we could see so much potential. The previous owner had lived in it for 20 years and looking back, it was a very, very rough diamond! So you definitely needed to be able to visualise the potential, and squint and look beyond the very original condition it was in!
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Can you share the renovations or updates you have made since moving in? How did you approach preserving its original charm while making it feel like your own?
The approach was always about refinement rather than overhaul and working with what we had - a cosy footprint, soaring ceilings, incredible natural light.
The apartment was completely re-wired bringing the mains to our apartment (so we didnt have to go down to the ground floor if ever there was a power outage), and up to code and adding extra GPO’s and lighting. We added our favourite iconic light, the Herman Miller saucer pendants (splurge!) in the living and bedroom, we wanted consistent lighting to make the space feel cohesive and connected. The diffused light and pendant shape goes beautiful with the decorative plaster ceiling too. We added the Verner Panton light in the study, another favourite light of mine, and a schoolhouse style pendant in the entrance where there previously was not one. Lighting is a huge thing for me!
Completely sanded and light stained our 100+ year old Baltic floors which also included ripping up some stinky carpet and removing darker stain on some of the floors. We did a custom whitewash which came up a treat. In the sunroom we used natural sisal wall to wall floor covering as I’m not a huge fan of carpet, and this flooring could not be salvaged (as back in the day, this was an open balcony!
Painting throughout the entire apartment, choosing to highlight all the timber work painting it white with a soft green based warmer natural wall colour, all new stepped higher skirtings to match and including a new picture rail to match in the hallway, so we could hang more art!The kitchen was completely re-sprayed on site with the gorgeous subtle green, new natural stone benchtops - Tundra Beige honed limestone, that were salvaged as an offcut new oven, tap, sink. It was great being able to keep the existing cabinets and just change the colour.
Completely updated bathroom!
New remote controlled blinds and sheers in the bedroom and a cute cafe curtain in the kitchen with roller.
Painted the fireplace, and removed the old ugly heater, its now an operational wood burning fire we love to light during the winter. The old bricks were a heavy dark mission brown, although a purist at heart, I sat with the bricks and tried to make them work but painting them a muddy warmer white has totally uplifted this feature and accent, such a great decision!
Since this shoot, we have added more shelving (desperately needed more horizontal space) and a new rug (wish I had it for the shoot!)A new huge sofa from HK Living (splurge!) that fits perfectly in the space, we had a smaller one and it just made the room look smaller. We like to open and close the original french doors between living and bedroom seasonally or as needed. Helps make the space feel bigger and more open, but love that you can close them as needed.
Our travertine coffee table was a FB Marketplace find of the century, made in Italy and just so stunning. Love the space and how it works with the fireplace and lighting too.
Your work often centres around heritage homes and considered renovations. What is it about these older spaces that resonates with you, and how do you balance preserving their story while designing for modern, everyday living?
Older homes have a depth of character that’s hard to replicate. The proportions, detailing and craftsmanship all contribute to how a space feels. Its also the imperfections that are beautiful to me, the reminder that these spaces were built by hand, nothing prefabricated about them.The balance comes from respecting those elements, while gently adapting the home to suit how people live today. It’s not about changing everything, it’s about working with what’s already there and allowing it to evolve.
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Eclectic Creative is known for creating homes that feel collected rather than decorated. Can you walk us through your process when beginning a new project, and how you guide clients through what can sometimes feel like an overwhelming renovation journey to create spaces that feel cohesive, personal and enduring?
We always begin by understanding how our clients live. Not just their aesthetic preferences, but their routines, needs and what they’re drawn to.Importantly, why are they embarking on the design and renovation journey? There answers shape and form the design brief which is the foundation of every project.
From there, we establish a clear design direction through planning, materials and joinery, before layering in furniture, lighting and objects. That’s where a home begins to feel collected.We also like to work with our clients treasured pieces be it artwork, heirlooms, furniture that may need some TLC and help weave this into the new scheme.
A big part of our role is guiding clients through each stage, simplifying decisions and providing clarity, so the process feels considered rather than overwhelming. We can often be in our clients lives for several months into years, so trust, collaboration and communication is the underpin to a successful working relationship and end result for a project.
Our latest collection, Treasure, celebrates keepsakes, curiosities and meaningful pieces gathered over time. What are the objects in your own home that feel like treasures to you, and what stories do they hold? Is there a piece that feels especially significant in this chapter of your life?
The pieces that feel most like treasures in my home are the ones collected over time. Artwork that either hung in my family home and I’ve had re-framed, vintage finds whilst travelling with my partner, and objects that carry memory or meaning. For instance I have a lot of cookbooks, which have been written in and pots from my late Dad and they’re such beautiful reminders of him, his love for cooking (and now mine) so every time I use them, I think of him!
They’re not necessarily valuable, but they hold a sense of connection. Those are the pieces that give a home depth and meaning, and in this chapter of my life, it’s those quieter, personal objects that feel the most significant. They ground the space and make it feel like home.
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How do you hope people feel when they walk into a space you have designed?
At ease, at home. Comfortable and settled.
I want spaces to feel thoughtful and resolved, effortless without feeling overworked. Somewhere people can truly relax and feel at home. In never want a home to feel like a showroom, or a catalogue, i love a little bit of playfulness, quirk and character.
