Where Architecture Meets Art, Inside Madeline Sewall’s Nightingale Apartment

Hi Maddie! Thanks so much for letting us peek inside your beautiful home. For anyone who hasn’t met you yet, can you introduce yourself and tell us where you live and who shares your space with you? 

Absolutely - it’s such a joy to have the super friendly Kip&Co team over. I’m Maddie - I’m an architect and artist living in Brunswick and Tassie. I share my space with my staghound rescue dog Poppy, and my boyfriend Keith who is an architect as well. 

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Your apartment in Brunswick is full of character and warmth! How did you come across this apartment, why did you choose this specific build, and what drew you to Brunswick as a suburb? 

Thank you! I was very lucky to get into the Nightingale Village community early on as I was the Project Lead for this building through my role at Breathe Architecture. Having been a part of Breathe for 11 years, I have been in and around Nightingale buildings since the very beginning. Previously, I rented in other Nightingale apartments, so I always knew that the quality, liveability and sustainability resonated with me. 

When this building came online and I knew I would be the lead architect, it felt like all the stars were aligning for purchasing my first place in a spot that would be meaningful for me and in alignment with my values and aesthetic. As a bonus, I’ve got a long list of friends and family in neighbouring apartments which has made this a true home.

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Your home is filled with beautiful timber details, from the kitchen to your studio, and there’s such a thoughtful mix of bespoke pieces throughout. What were some of the must-have design elements for you during the design process, and where did you look for inspiration when bringing the space together? 

I love timber, texture and warmth, particularly when it’s offset with some of the more industrial details of the building like the exposed services and concrete ceilings. Right now, my apartment is the result of the beautiful bones my apartment came with (which includes the timber cabinets and recycled hardwood flooring) and custom pieces I have designed and built myself and with friends which have added additional personality, function and texture which is unique to how I live in it. 

I’m inspired by apartments like in New York and Paris where creatives have lived for decades in small spaces that are stuffed with books, instruments, art and history. I love the feeling that you can live centrally, with less area, but without sacrificing the ability to make, collect and entertain. 

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As Director of Houses at Breathe in Melbourne, you focus on designing sustainable, right-sized homes. You’ve led everything from small-scale renovations to multi-residential projects, and more recently, you’ve started exploring the art world. Can you take us back to the beginning? What first sparked your interest in architecture, and what has your journey looked like so far? 

I was lucky to grow up in a family that loved art, and nurtured our interest and appreciation in visual art and music from young ages. Although my mom never considered herself an artist, she could make anything, and went to interior design school when I was young. Although she never finished her degree, this was enough to spark my interest in the built environment, and I embarked on architecture school while my twin sister Holly went to fine art school. 

I moved to Australia 15 years ago to complete my architecture masters, which led to me immigrating here and building a cherished life, career and community. Joining Breathe was a perfect fit for me because of their sustainability mandate and incredible team which quickly became my home away from home. 

In my career I’ve had broad experience, but I have always found a particular joy in designing people’s homes - it seems to suit my personality, allow me to exercise my creativity, and I love the collaborative nature of it. Every home and every client is different, and I love unlocking what is special about how people live and who they are. 

Most recently, I’ve embarked on a creative sabbatical to prioritise painting and private architecture commissions, which so far has been incredibly fulfilling.

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Your in-home studio space is incredibly inspiring; every little detail feels intentional. What fuels your creativity? Are there rituals, objects, people or places that you find yourself constantly drawn to?

I remember reading once that surrounding yourself with things that spark joy and curiosity nurtures your creativity, so I love to collect shells, postcards and sketches to bring home into my studio. Most of my art has a landscape focus, so I am particularly drawn to things from the natural world and I love having these treasures around. 

I’m a huge outdoorsy person, and I am often out hiking, surfing, sailing, and camping - these adventures really fuel my love of life and my creativity. I tend to travel with sketchbooks, watercolour and gouache so I can make sketches in plein air. When I get home to my studio I tape them up to process them, digest them, and sometimes revisit them as oil paintings, memories and impressions. 

In recent years, you’ve started dedicating more time to your art practice, which is so exciting. What prompted that shift, and how has the creative process of making art compared to your work in architecture?

Yes! It has been a tremendous joy to lean into my art. Alongside architecture, I have always made things (like most architects!). I’ve been painting for 7 or 8 years, but more intentionally for the last couple. 

The shift came when I hit a window of calm after a few bumpy years, and my twin sister Holly moved over to Australia. I found myself with more energy, and surrounded by lots of love and support from friends and family which gave me the bandwidth to make art with more purpose and bravery. Holly and I have always had a special creative bond and we encourage each other very much, and enjoy collaborating as well. We are both creatives, but with different educations and language around art and practice. Seeing my art through Holly’s eyes and being in her creative energy and encouragement helped to ignite a spark in me which has gained momentum thanks to encouragement from loved ones, some amazing art teachers, and an establishing belief in my own work. 

Art and architecture are so different for me, but they also enrich each other. I love the impact of architecture, its power to really change the lives of people using it. I see architecture as a creative problem solving exercise - there are always opportunities to uncover, but always constraints as well, so navigating a great outcome takes skill, experience, calculated risk and communication.

Art is where I get to explore my whimsical side, and lean into my curiosity without the need to know where I’m going. Coming from a highly regulated creative industry (like architecture) It’s very freeing to make without a plan in mind, and in fact, the most satisfying and most surprising results come when I can find a flow state which allows me to improvise without expectation of an outcome.  

They are completely different methods of making, but I think my confidence, creative identity and communication benefit from it all, and they definitely cross-pollinate. 

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Your outdoor area looks like an entertainer’s dream! When the sun’s out and you’ve got friends or family over, what’s your go-to hosting spread? 

I do love to have friends over and the menu varies tremendously! If the sun is out and we are on the balcony, I love an afternoon tea energy, mostly because I LOVE cake and tarts. I also don’t mind putting friends to work in a pasta-making project we can all enjoy together with some salads.