The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 42

TKfAOl MONDAY 20 MARCH 1995 1 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PINK COUCH? WWW wi i i vt HOT FINGER SHUFFLE. 'BEDROOM the same story 3 jl U.Gil sees through the myth 'I fry A spunky factory conversion gets its energy from retro influences Melissa Bell In a set that reflects youth If your house is like the Neighbour's set, it won't star in a magazine 0 WAS speaking to ex-Neighbours actor Elaine Smith the other day Yes, Daphne. "Ask them what happened to my pink velor couch," she commanded. "I miss it." So I da I ask Neighbours' publicist, Heather Nette. She stalls for time, pulling out some archival pho- hi tosraphs.

ETRO here, retro there, retro every-f" where and every piece a joy. If visi-I I I tors to the home of artist and illustra- tor Mini Goss and her family think I they're walking into a veritable muse-I urn, they're not far wrong. Light, breezy and airy, the range of hues, clean lines and contemporary outlook make the converted inner-city factory a memorable place. The old factory, where Mini lives with her husband John Gillman, and children, Dexter, two, and Lewis, 11 weeks, was actually divided up into several apartments some years ago by architect Ian Goss (Mini's dad). Once a place where billiard tables were made, it is now home to four creative families and testimony to the changing trend in inner-city Irving, where small families, not just couples, are moving into converted warehouses.

The families all share the large courtyard garden in the centre of the property. Mini, 31, and John, 30, found their section of the family too small for the children so, working with Ian, they doubled its size by adding on another level. "We wanted light and simple spaces," says Mini "We didn't want too much of a statement as it would date, so we stuck with a background of simple white walls, timber floors and charcoal grey metal-framed windows. Now if we are tired of a particular look, we can change the furniture." When John and Mini met they both had a collection of '50s and '60s furniture. "Ten years ago, '50s and '60s furniture was affordable.

There was a lack of interesting new furniture and it also had a bit of humor." says Mini 1 guess I reacted to my parents who had antiques and Japanese-style furniture, although my mum was a great Opshopper, with a good eye for things. So I was brought up with lots of second-hand bits and pieces." Since the renovation (and babies), John and Mini have pared down their collection. "We made several trips back to the Camberwell market to sell things, which is where much of it came from in the first place," says Mini "We used to be into more gimmicky '50s kitsch, like black lady lamps ana more ornate pieces but now I guess we are more interested in good design and clean lines, particularly with children -plus plastic is so practical!" "After living in Italy for a year (John co-wrote The Lonely Planet Guide to Italy), we would eventually like to collect some original Italian '50s and '60s furniture. As we have become more design-conscious, we would love some Bauhaus or Fetherstone pieces." In the living area, the large red rug is the perfect backdrop for Mini and John's modern furniture. "We bought the rug as a carpet off-cut It was left over from a church," says Mint The red theme continues in the can visualise how things will look." says Mini, "and 1 knew the red linoleum would look great in the kitchen.

John wasnt so sure!" "It was a galley-style kitchen before the renovation. I always wanted a kitchen you could sit in and eat a sociable family kitchen. Both John and I love to cook." Mini learnt to cook at the Paragon Cafe. The famous restaurant a favorite with Carlton residents, belongs to her mother, former model Janni Soltys, and was one of the first to feature trompe I'oeils in Melbourne. At home, "itb a practical kitchen with stainless steel says Mini.

"We chose Smeg stainless steel appliances because they looked Industrial and the cupboards are made from Victorian ash. The idea of the glass shelf with chrome supports came from the Adelphi bar it's ideal for herbs and bits and pieces." "We were going to have a cupboard made as a pantry but it was quite expensive. We found these chrome shelves at Oswald Sealy and bought them as a temporary measure, but they work really weU." CONTINUED PAGE 4 The school teacher, Dorothy Burke, had home like my aunt and uncle s. Mrs Mangles i could have borrowed her faux antique furniture and lace tablecloths from my grandmother. I suppose that is the point.

As Bill Searie, the executive producer of Neighbours, says later: The whole show is familiar to the viewer, including the sets. And that Is a large part of why it has endured." The attention to detail In these old sets is haunting. Wedding photographs on white doilies, Itallanate portraits In oval gold frames, and cream lamp shades with scalloped rims are suburban Icons that lend Neighbours Its authenticity. Scott Bird, set designer for the show, says: "It can be very rewarding to come up with something that personally you might And very ugly but is appropriate to the character. That is the challenge." Dorothy Burke (Maggie Dence) was a well-trav- elled school teacher.

Her Ramsay Street home was perfect example of the character-driven Interior. Tribal masks and kilims were the backdrop for an eclectic mix of terracotta pots, gold Buddhas and Oriental statues. Scott explains that the set was designed to "give the Impression that she was a classically educated traveller. The artefacts act as flags for the audience, to flesh out the As for Interior trends, It was way ahead of Its time. Scott is currently working on new sets for Neighbours, updating the Interiors.

"The producers would like to see a lot more color In the show," he says. "It has started to become a bit too beige. We have new cameras. Previously bright colon would either bleed or reflect off people's faces. They'd look like aliens.

Now I can use virtually any color I like. We have a look over one such set, with its burnt yellow walls, mauve trim and butterfly print door. The Mexican candlestick and mirror, and stainless steel cone vase are artefacts that the resident, Mark, brought home with him from Mexico. The contemporary fed of this set Is again related to the characters, Ren (Raelee Hill) and Mark (Bruce Samazan). They are younger, less conservative, and Ren is "a hippy fashion But Scott stresses that much of the show's appeal lies in the sets being the types of houses that the audience are familiar with, and so "are not the type you are going to find in interior magazines.

It Is not a fantasy BUI Searie says: "The show has to update Itself as It goes along, not dramatically, but as a response to a changing audience and this new set reflects that outlook. Things have not changed too much In Ramsay Street In the past 10 years. Kyiie and Jason have moved out. Melissa and Bruce have moved In. But the homes themselves have altered very little.

Scott shares a trade secret "Sometimes new producers come in. They have their ideas and they'd like to change something. If there is no screen or scripted reason for change, then it can fust happen overnight The home Is repainted and refurnished and everybody walks In the next day as If nothing happened." Enough stalling Heather. "Wherel the couchT She smiles and nods to Scott "Follow me," he says. We go upstairs to the general props store.

No couch. The outside broadcast prop cage. No couch. We call In the props manager. Still no couch! Tragically, it seems the pink couch is lost; auctioned off or re-upholstered.

Whatever Its present state, It will remain a cultural Icon to all those who have seen it sat upon. It represents an Australian dream; to own your own home, on your own block of land. The barbecue flame still flickers In Ramsay Street Andriw Amswsm )' 1 'IIiHI ii II Hi LAURA ASHLEY The New Direction. rTMt MtWMssfMIM Has mm! ottoo) Immmoo loyoJty to too mm Caa la wist iia sisJ TMaasw la UN aasstat, Urn battst I I wothof It's tho totem to) I II iJL TIM MtWm Of OtotNMtMO. O) 0 OHOJ0O i Bright cotton prints, and warm linens in plaster pink and earthy tones, inspire a relaxed contemporary mood.

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