the home of melissa mills

melissa mills is a photographer with a love for all things vintage. she kindly let me into her home to photograph the beautiful spaces within. i shot on film, hence the grain and imperfections.

melissa and her husband shaun built their house, and therein lay the challenge to create something modern, yet incorporate melissa’s love of “antiques and things with character”. The high ceilings, recycled floorboards and ornate cornices lend themselves to a vintage style home – not to mention the twin wooden front doors, sourced from Egypt.

Melissa’s favourite part of their house is the living room, “because of the beautiful light i get all day and the fact that its spacious and the hub of the family.”

The house is filled with little treasures – I had so much fun spooking around and looking at all the awesome finds in this house. Melissa finds her vintage delights “everywhere and anywhere” from the side of the road to ebay to second hand shops. “My mum is an avid collector”, says Melissa, “and when I was little I used to get mad as she dragged me into yet another antique store. I could never understand why she liked all this old ‘crap’, but now I’m just like her, although our tastes do differ.”

In three words, Melissa has described her home as comfortable, functional and unique, and a “well thought out space that allows us to be together as a family”. 

I think they’ve done a wonderful job of merging the old with the new and creating a home that feels modern yet hints at a vintage past. Thank you so much for letting me into your home, melissa. With your pieces of inspiration artfully positioned on unassuming shelves and walls, it was hard not to feel inspired.