Located in the circa 1948 Caringal Flats building, this one-bedroom Toorak apartment has everything Pauline and Kieran need to suit their adventurous lifestyle. They’ve given the home a DIY makeover, instilling the interiors with a retro-inspired feel that celebrates vibrant colour, and the building’s early modernist origins.

While Pauline and Kieran shared heartwarming highlights from their relationship (starting when they became friends as thirteen year olds!), they set the table for a delicious afternoon tea filled with Filipino treats inspired by Pauline's heritage as a proud Filipina-Australian.

When we heard Pauline and her husband Kieran were moving to Melbourne and had secured an apartment in the highly desirable Caringal Flats in Toorak, we jumped at the opportunity to chat with the couple about their recent move and renovation.

To start the year off with a bang, this week’s Home Life Series is a tour of one of Toorak’s iconic coral-coloured Caringal Flats, which freelance writer Pauline Morrissey now calls home.

Think Palm Springs meets Victoria’s spa country, with its bubblegum pink door, neon signs, wood-panelled walls, a crackling fireplace, a servery window connecting the kitchen with the wrap-around deck, and many hung artworks and prints from The Beverly Hills Hotel to a portrait of Elvis.

Just a 20-minute drive from Daylesford, you’ll stumble across Trentham – an equally whimsical town. And here lies the hidden gem, Acre of Roses.