Meet the Creatives Behind Melbourne’s Coolest Bathrooms

How does living and working in Fitzroy influence you?

“The ready-to-wear collection [from E Nolan, Emily’s eponymous tailoring label] is a direct representation of Melbourne bodies as it’s built on measurements I’ve taken in my fitting room. Most of my network are female or queer small business owners and they're so reassuring, so willing to help.”

There’s a sunken bath in the middle of your bedroom – tell us about this space...

“It feels a bit like Carrie Bradshaw in Melbourne! My bedroom/bathroom hybrid is on the top floor of my workspace, so the moment I go up I just try to leave work downstairs. I have ADHD and get a lot of sensory overload; a way that I reset is with light and water, so bath time is important for me to ‘wash the day off.’”

You work with your hands a lot – do you have a hand care routine?

“I take my rings off before my evening shower, and I put them back on each morning. All of these rings have been gifted to me – I have a rule that I can't buy myself rings. When I look down at my hands, it’s a reminder of the people that I love who also love me. I self-soothe by looking after, and at, my hands.”

You live, work and create on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy – why here, and how does the suburb influence your design?

“My partner Mitchell’s grandma was named Gertrude, her nickname was Oigall. So, when we were about to embark on this next phase of our creative career journey, it had to be on Gertrude Street. The inner north is such a great collaboration of people. It's a bit messy, and it's very old, but then it's also very new. I think there are no rules here per se.”

What will we find in your bathroom?

“What you won’t find is a mirror. What I look like at 6am in natural light is absolutely none of my business!”

What's your relationship to fragrance?

“When I was younger, I was the kid who would drench himself in perfume. But now, as an adult, I just want to smell neutral – like a clean human. It’s exactly why I like the kit: products – because they smell beautiful without sticking to me.”

Poodle has arguably one of Melbourne’s most iconic bathrooms – talk to us about the design brief…

“Like all parts of Poodle, we wanted the bathrooms to be fun, considered and with an unexpected touch. Given the tight space, we wanted it to pack a punch and the bright orange/red freestanding sinks by Thomas Coward fit the brief perfectly, in contrast with the green marble walls.”

What’s your favourite way to reset throughout the day?

“I find it hard to reset and am often ‘all systems go’ between my businesses and my daughter. I do, however, love scents and the different ways they can make you feel. I like the ritual of lighting a candle, and I also like to fill my diffuser at home with different oils.”

If you want to instantly change your mood, what do you do?

“If I want to channel my dad’s energy to get things done with class and poise, I keep a bottle of his fragrance in my bathroom cabinet — it will forever make me feel nostalgic. He was so cool, confident, and charming — an old-school Sicilian.”

Besides your own, what’s your favourite bathroom you’ve been to?

“My grandma's bathroom is insanely beautiful. It's got the original bathtub and basin, which are green porcelain, and the tiles are all greens and blues. She decorated it with a rug on the floor – I mean, who has a rug on the floor in the bathroom?”

Four kids, a business and a packed social life – what are some of the ways you reset throughout the day?

“I adore the house that I've built and it's lovely when the kids are running around and it's hectic and people are over, but it's extremely special when no-one's home. I reset when I have time to myself.”

What's a smell that will instantly change your mood?

“The smell of good food – especially the dishes that I was brought up around, like chicken soup on a Friday night. For me, that smell signifies the end of the week; a big exhale and reset. It’s nostalgic, the smell of cooking. It's my love language.”