A Fashion Designer & Photographer’s Melbourne Apartment

Images by Peter Ryle

This week we’re in the Victorian terrace of photographer Peter Ryle and Caves Collect owner & creative director, Johanna Ryle-Howe— who have recently taken on a new role, parents to their 16 month old, Georgia. Over the years, their apartment has made space for their respective passions; a dark room, sewing room, and more recently a place for their daughter to lay her head. Situated in the ‘little village’ of Coburg, Melbourne the trio frequent local parks and eateries in equal measure - embracing their multi-generational and diverse local community. We chatted about the seasons of parenthood, their work, and what it means to make a house a home.

“Our apartment is in Coburg in a beautiful old high ceiling, wood floor Victorian terrace above a shop.  When we found the place we absolutely fell in love with it and we’ve loved living here for close to 8 years now.  It’s just the three of us, our daughter is the newest member and she’s only lived here for 16 months.  The space is quite tight with the new addition to our family (we no longer have a lounge room), but we want to stay here for as long as we can because it’s such a great area and the apartment has so much character that we love.

Over the years this place has seen a darkroom in the laundry, a sewing machine in the lounge room and various woodworking projects carted up and down the stairs.

“It is East-West facing, which can be a bit spicy in summer, but the light is great which is important to both of us.  We’re really lucky to have a wonderful large garden that we share with friends who live next door, so Georgia has plenty of space to explore and learn about what she can and can’t eat in the garden.  Over the years this place has seen a darkroom in the laundry, a sewing machine in the lounge room and various woodworking projects carted up and down the stairs.  All in all it really feels like our home and we’ll be sad to leave it one day, when we absolutely can’t fit in here anymore.”

“Our bedroom actually used to be our lounge, before we had a baby and gave her our old room.  It’s got a good energy to it with the high ceilings and the beautiful evening light.  The room has been changed a bit in the last year because we had a bassinet and then a cot in there with us.  Now Georgia is old enough to have her own room, we want it pretty minimal as a mess-free sanctuary.  We also want it to be a safe place to let a toddler roam so everything is put away.  We’re both pretty busy so the most enjoyable time spent there is usually chilling out here together in the evenings.”   

“A lot of the furniture in the house Pete actually made, as he was pretty into woodworking for a while there.  So the dining table, bench seat, all of the stools and things like that are quite special as they were made specifically for us.  Jo also made a monster 6.5kg custom duvet for our bed out of Alpaca wool from Pete’s parents’ property in the country, which has just been packed away because of the warmer months.  Jo still says it’s the hardest thing she’s ever made, but on a cold winters night there’s nothing better than being swamped in a handmade Alpaca cocoon!

“We have a photo in the kitchen that Pete’s grandad took, of his grandmother in Italy in the 50’s with a Leica that he was gifted when he was studying photography.  A lot of the things in our house we’ve either made or are from friends and family which means a lot to us and makes this place feel more like a home.”    

“We’re both pretty much on the same page with design in that we’re both quite eclectic - not really loyal to any particular era.  Recently we’ve both been more into antique furniture, like a pine turn of century dresser we recently found for the kitchen to replace a larger, more industrial console.  We’re both very particular about materials so I think that largely informs the pieces we choose to put in our space.

We’re both very particular about materials so I think that largely informs the pieces we choose to put in our space.

“Pete grew up in a small village in England in a 16th century thatched cottage so he was pretty over older pieces for a while, but in recent years has rediscovered his love for it.  Jo grew up in a large family in Adelaide, which could be quite chaotic so the space being clean and minimal is important to her.  It takes time to build up things you love and are part of your home, so having a smaller apartment or house can in some ways, be an advantage because you can be more considered in your choices rather than having to fill a large home.”

“Jo is very busy at the moment, not only being a full-time mum but also running Caves Collect.  It’s just been the 10 year anniversary of the brand, which is really amazing considering the economy at the moment and navigating covid etc.  Currently Jo is getting summer production moving as fast as possible and running the day-to-day operations so she’s really quite busy.   Pete is also intrinsically linked to the brand, doing all of the photography and trying to help as much as possible.  Pete is a commercial photographer who works out of a studio in Reservoir and has recently been working in diversifying into video, so he’s enjoying the challenge of that.”

Pete & Jo's bed is dressed with our 100% Linen Duvet Cover in Navy Pinstripe 

“We’re very lucky, our daughter is such a beautiful little soul and she’s constantly changing, a joy to be around.  It’s most certainly changed our lives dramatically, with both of us being freelancers and having far less time than we did, but honestly it is the best and we can’t even imagine life without her now. 

It’s most certainly changed our lives dramatically, with both of us being freelancers and having far less time than we did, but honestly it is the best and we can’t even imagine life without her now.

“Evenings are a fun time we usually spend in the kitchen making dinner and we all eat together upstairs or down in the garden.  We are both big chatters so poor Georgia has to hear a lot about her parents' general thoughts on the world and ideas for their respective practices.”

“There are lots of great things in our area.  Initially we didn’t know too much about Coburg, but we had lived just up the road in Brunswick together while we were dating.  Initially I think we liked where it’s located - Pete was traveling a lot and needed to get to the airport frequently, Jo’s work was in Collingwood (now Abbotsford) so it’s not too far.  Coburg also has a lot of different cultures and generations, so it’s got lots of options for food (groceries and eating out) and a good blend of old and new places to visit.  

“Everything we need is within walking or cycling distance, which is great.  Coburg is kind of like a little village on the edge of bigger and busier city life, so it’s not hectic and not super quiet either. There are plenty of parks nearby (mandatory for a toddler), places to get interesting food and it’s close to things we frequently do.”

Coburg also has a lot of different cultures and generations, so it’s got lots of options for food and a good blend of old and new places to visit.

“Pete’s been going with Georgia to the local RSL a bit recently, enjoying that community. Hotel Lombardo has a great Guinness and pizza, Half Moon Cafe or Very Good Falafel are always great, Terra Madre and the Coburg Farmer’s market on Saturdays. Grocery shopping and cooking has been a newish interest for Pete when he’s with Georgia - so also Coburg market, Fresh on Young and some spice shops etc are a fun morning.  If we don’t want to cook then Good Days up the road is great… too many places to mention really.  Heide MOMA is a reasonably close drive, which we always enjoy.  Melbourne Museum is also good for the kids section and not too far. CERES is close.  Jo loves the Rathdowne St precinct for a coffee and the park there.” 

“In an ideal world we’d love to get to Europe (in 2025) and visit some of Jo’s silk mills in Lake Como, Italy.  Honestly though, just watching our little girl grow up is the most exciting thing.”