My name is Anthony Mancini. I'm a co-director of Mancini Made
and today we're at my home. Williamstown is situated in the west of Melbourne.
It was the first settlement of Melbourne so there are some special features
about it. My favourite would be the strand which has the only vista of Melbourne from water.
I think this development ties in well with our surrounding, it ties into the community.
I was fortunate enough to have the builder allow me to take over from locker, so essentially become
an interior design and fit it for Mancini Made, which is quite a unique thing. The
challenge here was that the design was already completed, so we were working within a space.
We didn't want too many corners, we wanted the space to feel open, warm, inviting, so
the main design features are the curves. The curved island bench,
the curved bar. It adds a sense of calm, a sense of luxury, without overdoing it.
I paid special attention to ensuring that we honed in on only a few simple materials. The floors were
specially made by George Fethers. The joinery is a unique colour. The stone is a silver ash. It
is a bit experimental. For me, it's come together perfectly
and we love it. It truly encompasses who we are.
Getting the balance right between the individual identity of a house and its
collective responsibility to the broader context, I think is one of the things that's been achieved
very successfully at The Reserve. The develop really forms a canvas for life,
it's very classic and the little twists and the angles and the balustrades and the detail and the
crafting of the houses, it's all very deliberate, very well considered and very well executed.
That kind of relaxed coastal dynamic, the village feel, brings that sense of place an
identity that actually we felt reflected some of the terrace housing that we saw in Williamstown
and the colour is added by the residents. We love the reactions we get from our family and friends.
As soon as they come up the staircase, they are surprised. I don't believe they're expecting the
warm colour palette, the opulent feel. It's a truly entertaining space. You feel immersed with
the colours and the joinery, it's all one. My favourite part of the kitchen is the amenity
bar. When you open it it's a whole new world. I've used this as a bit of an experimental space.
We have azure blue, which is an Italian colour and that just gives you this pop. Fisher and Paykel
played a major part in this kitchen. We feature two of their 600 ovens, a 900 induction cooktop,
a 900 range hood and integrated fridge and an integrated dishwasher. What I most like about
the Fisher and Paykel appliances are they're designed to fit and they're just beautiful to
use. Initially we were looking at a 900 oven but we decided on the two sixes, so you can see there
is design intent there. It's all symmetrical. You can be cooking two different things at once
and there are many unseen benefits of the Fisher and Paykel range now that they're in our home and
we use them on the daily. The self-cleaning function of the oven is a massive feature
and the other one would be the range hood. The range hood is very quiet; it's very user friendly.
The laundry features our Fisher and Paykel washing machine and dryer. The benefit of
the heat pump dry is its energy efficiency and for us the steam function, it's a must-have.
They look great. It really completes that part of the home.
We're most proud of the finish of the home. I think for us we took a chance with some of the
materials, the colours, the palette, but they have totally worked. When we have
family friends come over and it's, "wow, how have you done this in such a small space"?
Would not have been the same without Fisher and Paykel. Their pieces are seamless, they complement
the space. It's a true and perfect marriage and we really think that it represents who we are.