Nina has a unique sense of fashion with a very individual style, and we wanted to create a home reflective of her unique approach to colour and texture.
As the Production Designer, my cue for the inspiration is always the character and the story, and Nina Proudman is such a rich, layered and developed character.
The art department was very lucky to start with a beautiful blank canvas at Nina’s current house. We use the gorgeous, architecturally designed home by Kali Cavanagh, a Melbourne stylist and interior designer.
Kali’s home has strong, appealing features: rustic ceiling beams, a large steel framed back glass doors that lets in abundant light and frames the back of the house perfectly. And a lovely concrete and timber custom-built kitchen.
When we found Kali's house, the walls were very white with furniture in neutral tones. To transform it into Nina’s house we painted the walls, cluttered it with artworks, an abundance of plants and natural kids’ mess, to make it look more like a busy working single mum’s house.
I think Nina's home becomes a character itself at times. It’s easy to get sucked in by making every frame look art directed and beautiful, with no mess.
We like to make Nina’s house look real, so it’s perfectly styled to the character's world.
We pepper the space with piles of newspapers, medical journals, kids’ books, laundry baskets, the occasional dead plant, sparse fruit bowls with half a banana and an avocado, couches and cushions that have been sat in and are not always looking perfect, to make it feel more realistic.
