Ever wanted to visit a South Australian design museum, curated by one of the state’s best young artists?
Or better yet, live in one?
Well, now you can – sort of.
After renovating a 1880s bluestone villa for her family, illustrator and painter Billie Justice Thomson turned her attention to an apartment in Adelaide’s CBD.
Not a little shoe box either – she saw enough of those – but an apartment in the historic Ruthven Mansions building in the heart of Adelaide, one of the first multi-storey apartment buildings in the country.
A well-researched Billie did her homework.
“I looked at a lot of apartments in the city and they are like boxes and this one popped up…it’s a unique building, north-facing and unlike anything else in the CBD,” Billie tells Place Journal.
It’s been given a grand makeover with, of course, quality and thoughtful design at front of mind.
It’s filled with the work - from paintings to ceramics - of SA’s finest artists and makers, Billie included.
This is her new art gallery, and Mini Mansion is her latest exhibition.
And, now, just in time for the frenzy that is the Adelaide Fringe Festival, it could be your next short stay.
It's not all just for you, though.
“I had been looking for a long time actually for somewhere potentially for my mum to live...she’s on the public housing waitlist,” Billie explains.
“It was obvious to me to give back to her, because we were fortunate enough to be able to buy a house.
“There are people who didn’t have the opportunity to buy property when they were younger and some find themselves in a tough situation now.”
Billie has been close to her mum, Tubby Justice, her entire life and had little hesitation in helping her out.
And their relationship provided one of the highlights of the experience.
“Mum worked really hard on it with me,” Billie explains.
“She’s definitely really proud of how hard we both worked, it’s kind of nice it will be ours in the long run.”
That hard work started with a cleanout. The carpet went - replaced by new, spotted oak floating timber flooring throughout - as did old, bulky cabinets, and tiles.
And, of course, so, too, did everything that wasn’t white on the walls.
Like at her home, white walls were the starting point, acting as Billie’s blank canvas.
Colour was then added in abundance – and not just with the Billie’s giant Twisties packet illustration or the beautiful painting she created with her son Marvin that sits above the custom-made floating shelf.
There’s the yellow of the window frames, the blue of the benchtop and cabinets, the terracotta grout on the kitchen splashback and the pale peach colour of the basin in the bathroom, just to name a few.
Mum's old coffee table gets a run, too - but it is a pretty special one. Michael Hirst made it for her in Melbourne in the 1950s.
No major structural changes were made - not even the shape of the kitchen - but the entire apartment was restored and recreated, using every inch of the 53m2 living space deliberately.
Compared to the renovation of her own home, it was a different challenge altogether.
You could park out the front and walk straight through the front door there.
The biggest problem creating the Mini Mansion?
“Access, access, access,” Billie says, as if she’s reliving the frustration of the most difficult part of the project right here and now.
“Trades just don’t want to come in and everything had to be taken up three flights of stairs through the fire escape, it was so much work."
Everything?
Rumour has it, some of the old carpet came flying out the balcony window.
Work smarter, not harder, as the old saying goes.
Of course, the balcony isn't just good for throwing things off - it was just a rumour anyway - it brings city life, through North Terrace and beyond, into the apartment.
“We are excited to give other people the opportunity to enjoy Adelaide from this point, which is so unique and so convenient,” Billie says.
“Fringe time is so hectic, there’s so much to do and you need somewhere that is the base of it all.
“You need somewhere to recoup…I want give people a calm space.”
At the same time, though, it’s bright, visually stimulating and has its own record player and bar.
That’s right – just do your bit for the next person.
“I’m going to go with an honesty system,” Billie laughs.
“If they drink something, I hope they just replace it with something they like.
“But I don’t know if it will work, I’ll give it a shot.”
Your shout? We'll get a Mansions jug next.
Words: Jordan Pinto
Editorial styling/curation: Ashleigh Pinto
Photography: Shannon Wark for Place Journal
BILLIE'S PLACE IN THE CBD
Built: 1910s
Land: 55m²
Bed: 1 (+ sofa bed)
Bath: 1
Scroll through to see what the place looked like before
Comments