When we were on the Cover of Real Living Magazine

A blank canvas rental is injected with colour and character to become a stylish family home.

After 10 years of living a fast-paced life in London, the lure of a more laidback beach lifestyle brought Australian-born Natasha Skunca and her family - Canadian husband Karl and their two young boys, Kasper and Kristof - back to her home city of Melbourne.

Rather than buying a property straight away, the couple decided to rent for a while. After a quick search they were lucky to find this spacious, open-plan house in a family-friendly suburb of Melbourne.

Natasha, who owns homewares and accessories label Make Me Iconic, fell in love with the clean, modern lines; flowing, light-filled spaces; and oodles of storage in the rental property. "I like easy-to-clean surfaces and space," she says. "I don't like too much clutter." A combination of open-plan living, a large modern kitchen, built-in cabinets and huge glass doors spilling out onto sunny courtyards creates a homely, practical environment for the young family.

The house, designed by Bower Architecture, has neutral charcoal floor tiles running throughout the ground floor; spotted-gum timber cladding and cabinetry provide a warm contrast to the fresh white walls. This palette created the perfect blank canvas for Natasha to fill with her favourite artwork, furniture, and souvenirs that she'd collected while living overseas. The combination of these pieces has injected the house with her own fun and colourful personal style.

For simplicity, Natasha stuck to just a few main colours for the interior palette - red, white, blue and coral - with touches of timber. When it comes to choosing furniture and homewares Natasha says she has an eclectic, but practical eye. "I like things to have a special meaning and not just part of a trend," she explains. "I always keep the expensive, big pieces of furniture, such as the sofa and coffee table, simple - a neutral colour that won't date - then I add splashes of colour with accessories."

An added bonus of having her own homewares brand Make Me Iconic www.makemeiconic.com  - and one of the reasons Natasha started the business - is being able to fill the house with her own accessories. Natasha's cushions and artworks are dotted throughout her home; their designs add hits of colour and a strong Melbourne vibe.

The family's move from one side of the world to the other has been a happy transition, mainly because they fell on their feet and found the perfect rental property. "We now know what suits our new family lifestyle and we'll be looking for something similar when we're ready to buy," Natasha says. "It's like we road-tested the Australian lifestyle first!"

Read about more fab homes in the April 2011 issue of real living.

Writer: Amanda Hemmings-Barbezat

Styling: Clair Wayman

Photography: James Gear