A Stylish Oasis in Melbourne’s Inner North

In the heart of Northcote lies a hidden oasis: the home of Myra Spencer, her husband Jamie and their two children Caoimhe (4) and Cillian (18 months). Clever updates to their heritage fronted residence has made way for an expansive space, with two internal gardens that invite light and ever-changing greenery into their living quarters. A shoe maker by trade, Myra is also a mother, a creative soul, and an advocate for slow & responsible fashion. Having co-founded Post Sole Studio she is currently on hiatus, tending to her brood and other projects, including consulting for Melbourne label Permanent Vacation. We visit her on an unseasonably warm winter’s afternoon to talk about the renovation process, their gallery’s worth of artwork, and her honest reflections on the future of fashion.

“We bought the house in late 2019 and started the renovation process shortly after. It all went pretty smoothly and we moved in, in October 2022. I live here with my family - my husband Jamie and my children Caoimhe and Cillian. We feel really fortunate to have designed and built a house we love.

I love how the spaces surround the internal gardens and it feels like we are in our own little sanctuary, completely removed from the world outside.

“Aesthetically I love how the spaces surround the internal gardens and it feels like we are in our own little sanctuary, completely removed from the world outside. With kids, I think we have a far greater appreciation for outdoor spaces - the courtyard is great in summer when we can open up the sliding doors and make one large indoor/outdoor space.

“Practicality (and being in the middle of a cold Melbourne winter) I love how warm and comforting it feels to be inside - a privilege I don’t take for granted.”

“[The renovation process] was pretty smooth despite the obvious obstacles we encountered due to Covid. I feel like the experience was really collaborative with both our architect and builder and we felt aligned with our values and vision. We did want a small second level, which wasn’t approved by council, but aside from that we had relatively few issues.”

“Our bedroom is predominantly our bed! We have a beautiful Mark Tuckey bed. Due to the size and ‘slab’ style, it is an enormous piece of furniture. We had the bed before we bought the house and had to change the doorway to the bedroom to accommodate it (the bedrooms are in the original part of the house).

"Aside from the bed we have relatively few pieces of furniture in here; an ancient red gum and kangaroo leather chair by artist Damien Wright, which was a wedding present from my parents.

“The art in this space is a work in progress. We recently purchased the piece above the mantle - it is a work by our good friend Nick Modrzewski and the second piece of his we have. Most of our artworks have a story behind them. We have works of my mums, works that hung in my grandparents house, and numerous works by talented friends.

"In all honesty, at this stage of my life, I enjoy sleeping in the bedroom. However, we are not getting much sleep thanks to my 18 month old.”

We had the bed before we bought the house and had to change the doorway to the bedroom to accommodate it.

The couple's enormous wooden bed is made with a combination our Organic Cotton Percale in Milk & Blue Stripe.

“I’m a shoe maker and I co-founded Post Sole Studio with my business partner Breeze in 2014 (Breeze continues to run the business today and makes all the shoes). I made the decision to exit the business at the end of 2023 with the impending birth of my second baby and in many ways I’m still coming to terms with my own identity without P.S.S.

“The decision to leave was difficult but I knew it was what I needed for myself and my family. Every part of me was so invested in the business and it consumed my thoughts - in a good way! It was manageable to a degree with one child but I knew I would have to let go more with my second and I couldn’t see that happening unless I completely removed myself - and I am grateful for that decision. Having two children has been a humbling experience to say the least.

“I started SHRUNK store at the same time as exiting P.S.S. There was both a gap in the market in terms of products but also responsible production in childrenswear. So many people see kids' clothes as ‘disposable’ instead of investing in well made pieces that can be sold, passed on or archived for the next generation. I made everything locally, using remnant or dead stock fabrics and collaborated with designers like HB Archive and Penny Sage. Ultimately, I massively underestimated how much the marketing landscape had changed and how difficult it was for organic growth in a post pandemic world with a rapidly increasing cost of living. Not to mention a general feeling of instability in the world around us.

“I made the decision to close SHRUNK earlier this year. Although I felt and still feel so passionately about the why and how behind the business, I couldn’t see myself doing children’s clothes forever and I wasn’t prepared to jump on the hamster wheel that is the Meta algorithm. It is no longer about making a great product and I wasn’t prepared to participate in that world.

“I’m now working as a consultant with Melbourne label Permanent Vacation in a production and processes role. Claire and I have known each other for years and I’m excited to help grow her brand PV. She has such an incredible eye for design and focuses on creating well-made pieces in projects rather than subscribing to typical fashion cycles.

Since having children I constantly have their future in my mind and making sure I do everything I can to not harm the world around me anymore than it has been.

“It is important to me going forward to work with like minded people and businesses that hold the same values as me. Since having children I constantly have their future in my mind and making sure I do everything I can to not harm the world around me anymore than it has been. Obviously working in fashion is in some ways counterintuitive to this and I do sometimes question myself and how productive it is to work in an industry that is by nature not very responsible. But I always come back to a quote from GANNI co-founder Nicolaj Reffstrup “Fashion is here to stay and I might as well stay in it and then do better than most of my peers when it comes to responsible behaviour.” I’m excited about this next chapter in my career and where it will take me but I will add that working alongside mothering is emotionally the most challenging thing I have done.”

The spare bed is draped in our Oversized Textured Cotton Bed Cover in Lake. Myra's dining table is made with our 100% Linen tablecloth & napkins in Khaki & White (coming soon)

“[Our bedtime rituals are] nothing too exciting - but it’s a routine the kids know and most of the time our bedtimes are pretty smooth. Dinner, bath, milk, stories and bed. Both kids are in the same room which I love because we can all do bedtime and stories together. Sleep on the other hand is a different story!

“I’m looking forward to finding more rhythm with the work/parenting juggle. We are in a really rough patch with my son starting daycare and picking up every virus going around - it’s been a particularly challenging time."

“I love how quiet Northcote is but that it is also close to everything. Our street is full of people who have lived here for 50+ years and they still walk to Northcote plaza everyday for their shopping and always stop for a chat on the way. It feels like people are looking out for each other which is really nice."