How An Antique Dealer Lives Small Above His Shop, Melbourne 60sqm/646sqft

Never Too Small

Issue 5 is out now! It’s packed with colour, characters, nostalgia and so much design and small footprint living inspiration — plus a fun sticker sheet! https://www.nts-store.com/collections/magazine/products/nts-magazine-issue-5  Above his Melbourne antique and local design shop, Ma House Supply Store, Ben Mooney has turned a 60sqm/646sqft rental apartment into a home filled with humour, history, and heart. Part home, part archive, the space reflects his lifelong love of antiques. Originally a tired apartment above a commercial lease, Mooney transformed it into a layered and lively home with ingenuity and patience. He removed walls and doors to open up light and space, hand-chipped the walls to reveal paint layers beneath, and built shelving into new beams for his ever-growing collection of objects. Every detail carries his signature mix of sentiment and wit — a door cut in half (and tuned upside down) to save space, curtains stitched from leftover tablecloths, and a kitchen pieced together from Marketplace finds. For Mooney, living beautifully isn’t about perfection or newness; it’s about curation, care, and the stories things hold.  00:00-00:42 Introduction  00:42-01:21 Store 01:21-03:58 Entrance  03:58-11:49 Living Room 11:49-13:58 Bedroom 13:58-16:17 Kitchen  16:17-18:34 Bathroom 18:34-19:04 Backyard 19:04-20:07 Conclusion  Read the full article about this store and apartment here: https://www.nevertoosmall.com/post/how-ben-mooney-lives-small  #smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign   How I Live Small Ep.10 Project Name: Ma House Supply Store Owner: Ben Mooney https://mahousesupplystore.com.au/  https://www.instagram.com/mahousesupplystore/   Produced by New Mac Video Agency Creator: Colin Chee Producer: Lindsay Barnard Director & Cinematographer: Nam Tran Editor: Jessica Ruasol Music: Artlist.io COTTON CLOUDS by Skygaze Pick Your Outfit by Elifas Sonaru La Rouge - Creative Cut - Retro by Ori Kaplan Praia do Leblon by Gil Kita Got It by VESHZA Ein by Yoav Shlomov Red Gamba by Lalinea Wardrobe Collection by Elifas Sonaru Feeling Sunset by Just for Kicks swamp by spellbound Fireplace with Alez by Damon Power Sunchilling by Vicate  Share your projects with us- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/submissions Subscribe to our newsletter- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/subscribe  Check out our store- https://www.nts-store.com Website- https://www.nevertoosmall.com Instagram-  https://www.instagram.com/nvtsmall Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/nvtsmall

Transcript

00:01Someone's home is a real invitation into their kind of psyche and history.

00:07Come on, I'll give you some tummy time.

00:09You know, I might meet someone on the street and I think they have some kind of like,

00:14not judgement, but thought of who I am.

00:18And then when they come back to my place, you can see in their mind like everything changes.

00:24They're like, this was not my expectation of the way you live or what you would like.

00:30I like that, yes.

00:32Is it making my eye bigger?

00:33And I like catching people off guard, yes.

00:38Too many clowns.

00:44Hello, I'm Ben Moody, we're at my house.

00:46This is my dog Goody, he's an Italian greyhound.

00:50We're in my shop in Collingwood where I sell antiques,

00:53but I also sell new stuff by local designers.

00:57We're in supply store at the moment, but my house upstairs is 60 square centimetres.

01:01No.

01:04I was doing so well.

01:06The house upstairs is 60 square metres.

01:09But I also hire it out for photo shoots and things like that.

01:12But mostly I guess I'm a shopkeeper.

01:15I've lived here for about three years.

01:19This is the third shop I've lived in.

01:21Come on in.

01:23The building's actually for sale at the moment and my lease has been extended for three years,

01:27but coming to the realisation that you actually don't own the building is pretty difficult.

01:32Yeah.

01:33So this is kind of the point where it changes from the shop to the house.

01:38This chain is all I have to separate the two.

01:41But I think it sends a clear message before the edge of that stairwell was just really cracked and disgusting.

01:49This trim I added on the side.

01:51It's like a Greek key pattern, which is one of my favourites.

01:54It was a very good coverall.

01:56Come upstairs.

01:58I had these tablecloths left over from an event that I did and I just attached them to wood.

02:04So this covers up everything that was left behind by other people.

02:09And it saves a lot of money.

02:12I mean, to get scaffolding and a plasterer and everything was going to cost thousands of dollars.

02:17This one here is a good indication of what the wall in the living room looked like.

02:23I think sometimes it's just about distracting from what is there.

02:27But I mean, to me, they look really intentional.

02:31So I guess this is my entryway.

02:34I kind of like as you come up the stairs, it's a lot lighter here and you can see through

02:39to the other rooms, which is really nice.

02:41I think it's kind of like my entry table.

02:44And I do try to find pieces of furniture that are multi-use.

02:48This has drawers that are kind of secret because you can't really just open them from there.

02:54I like to change around the furniture.

02:56So this could be a great bedside table or a hall table or it's just something that can kind of

03:01go anywhere.

03:02This bowl I love.

03:03This is where I put my keys when I come home.

03:05It's got this face on it.

03:07And when you put it on a flat surface, it kind of imprints itself on whatever the surface is.

03:12But I love that one.

03:14The Bowie picture came from my dad.

03:18He's passed away and he didn't leave me very much, but he did leave me this very good photo, which

03:23his friend took.

03:25When they had a retrospective at a NGV of Bowie pictures, there was this same picture, but him in different

03:32poses, which was really crazy to see because I've known that picture my whole life.

03:36I decided to take out all the doors.

03:38It lets in the light and lets you see in there, but also wherever you kind of open a door,

03:44you have to have that full swing back of the door.

03:47So it allows me to have pieces of furniture on either side.

03:51I mean, when I'm lying in bed, I can see right through into this room and it's good to keep

03:56a watch over your treasures.

04:01So this is the living room.

04:03It was two rooms and now it is my favorite room.

04:07The walls I did myself, that was a real labor of love.

04:11I kind of chipped away layers and layers of paint.

04:15The best part about it is you really don't know what you're going to get.

04:17There's no way to kind of control the color that's coming through.

04:22I love the picture rails as well.

04:23They're really handy.

04:24I'm someone that hates putting holes in their walls and I've always been a renter.

04:28So picture rails are amazing.

04:30You just hang these little hooks up the top and then you can hang whatever you want.

04:34Originally, there was a wall that divided these two rooms where you're standing at the moment.

04:39You never would have been able to see through to the kitchen or the bathroom.

04:43You would have just seen a white wall here.

04:45So opening up different views and different perspectives is amazing.

04:49We had to put a beam in between the two and then it had to be clad in something.

04:55There was the option of doing plaster, but this gave me more display space,

04:59which is something that I obviously need.

05:01It's great to have a bookshelf, but I also like sort of that it is a newer element to the

05:06space

05:06and it helps with the newer pieces of furniture that it's not completely a sort of period building.

05:14There's the future and the past.

05:17When I was in high school, I've never been a religious person,

05:20but for some reason I found these mini Bibles really cute.

05:23So I would always buy them.

05:25They were just like $2 at the op shop.

05:26And this is like, I think it's kind of like a carver dish, like a ceremonial thing,

05:32but it reminds me of Pepito from Madeline.

05:34He had those hats.

05:36With commercial, it's great.

05:38And I think that's why I like commercial leases.

05:40This is my second commercial lease.

05:42It does give you the freedom to make more changes.

05:45I haven't always asked for permission to do things, but I've never gotten in trouble either.

05:51I mean, if you do the work properly, it's really adding value to the place.

05:56What was the hardest room?

05:58I think this room, because it took so long, I couldn't afford to do it all in one stage.

06:05You're so excited to like make this change and knock out a wall.

06:08But when you have to do it in stages, I know that I own a lot of objects,

06:12but they're all clean and, you know, they're all dust free.

06:15And when you're doing a renovation, that is not how life is.

06:18You know, everything was in boxes and he would secretly do his business in places

06:23and you wouldn't know for three weeks.

06:25I definitely recommend to people out there if you can avoid living in a renovation.

06:29Do not live in a renovation.

06:31Yes.

06:32This table is Georgian and I seem to have a crush on Georgian furniture at the moment.

06:37The fact that it's nearly 200 years old just blows my mind.

06:42The Mona Lisa is a little bit tacky, but it's good to have a little bit of a sense of

06:46humor in a space.

06:47And this thing I love, it's a table for a mortician or a dentist.

06:52To me, it kind of looks like a shield or a sculpture.

06:55So that's how I like to display it.

06:58But if you have friends over and you want somewhere to put your drink, it's handy.

07:02The table is Willy Rizzo-esque.

07:06I don't want to say it's the real deal, but it's got these beautiful brass edges.

07:11And then a coffee table on a coffee table kind of allows me to have more furniture.

07:17This is a polo. Everyone loves a polo.

07:20He's actually made out of fiberglass.

07:22He's not a real ancient sculpture, but he's very handsome and he goes very well with the walls.

07:28I'm going to upset everyone and tell you that it was $50 on Marketplace.

07:33The couch I got from Marketplace as well.

07:35And it's really funny.

07:36There's an episode of Kath and Kim where Kylie Minogue is in the episode and it's like shot in the

07:42future.

07:43They have this as like the couch to represent the future.

07:46I think it's meant to be outdoor furniture, but I think it looks great inside.

07:50Goody not scratching.

07:56The day bed was like one of my first big boy purchases.

08:01I got this from Nord in Brunswick and I've had to sleep in this bed a few times when I've

08:05been renovating and I don't want to set anything else up.

08:08It gets very tight in here with me and the dog, but that's fine.

08:11To sort of have a bed that you don't have to set up and interrupt everything else is really nice.

08:17This is my mum.

08:19She's not dead.

08:21I really love this photo of her.

08:23The same guy that took this photo took that picture of Bowie.

08:26I look a lot like her and this haircut on her is really great.

08:29It's so dusty over there.

08:31This is from Nord as well.

08:32If you're ever in Brunswick, you should go there because it's a beautiful shop.

08:36When I bought the day bed, it was like that was my big boy purchase.

08:39And then when I bought this, that was like my real big boy purchase.

08:43It's so beautifully made and it's definitely something I'll have forever.

08:47Inside is really great storage as well.

08:49I keep my computer in here.

08:52It's great because when I'm not using it for work, it's just kind of a beautiful piece to look at.

09:00So the rug, I bought it from a place in Melbourne.

09:03It's called Rex Rugs.

09:04I just hung it from like a strip of wood and nailed into it.

09:09And then again, these picture rails are great because you just need those hooky things.

09:12I mean, it's really heavy.

09:15That was a nightmare to get up there.

09:17This column is really funny because it's plastic and I think everyone thinks it's made out of solid stone or

09:24something.

09:25I think it was like from a prop hire place that would do like toga parties or something at Melbourne

09:30Uni.

09:32This is a bit crazy at the moment.

09:34It's kind of where I put the things that I collect and I'm not really sure where to put them.

09:40I have a bit of a collection of like cigarette dispensers.

09:44This one's one of my favorites.

09:45When you put the bird down, he fetches the cigarette.

09:50It's a Nissan and it has an ashtray here and I think you put your cigarettes in there.

09:55This one, if you lift the trunk, it pushes the cigarette through the body and out the backside, which is

10:01very cute.

10:02If I try to dispense all these objects everywhere, then it just feels a bit too chaotic and there's nowhere

10:09for the eye to rest.

10:10Sometimes kind of overloading one space is the answer to that.

10:15Before I worked at a skip hire company for like seven years, I never had worked in design or antiques

10:23or anything like that.

10:25I've always loved sort of decorating my home, but there's only so many times you can change the furniture around

10:31in your own house.

10:33I guess that's why I started the shop because I knew that I could not keep buying things and putting

10:38them in a house.

10:39And sort of being able to merchandise all the time really gets that out of my system, which is really

10:44good.

10:45So this is kind of my HQ. It's where I spend the majority of my time when I'm not in

10:50the shop.

10:51I normally just like to lie in bed and do work or think or whatever.

10:57I always like to pick the smallest room to sleep in.

11:01I think all it really does in the bedroom is store your clothes and gives you somewhere to rest.

11:06So why not?

11:08It's one of the few rooms with a door.

11:10I mean, it's just me here. I pretty much never shut this door anyway, but come in.

11:15Storage is really important.

11:17These wardrobes like beside the bed are great.

11:20The guy who I got them off said that his uncle had made them for him when he was a

11:25kid.

11:25They're just really simple. They don't take up much room.

11:28I kind of built the room around those two wardrobes weirdly.

11:32In here, I keep all my kind of winter coats.

11:35The wardrobes are great because you can put one on top of the other.

11:38Or you can have them right next to each other and they're just one cupboard or separate them like I

11:43have.

11:44Goody sleeps with me. Yes, we cuddle.

11:47He's very nice to cuddle with.

11:50The light, I think it's Bruno Minari.

11:52I think a lot of people would find it frustrating having it over the bed.

11:56It really doesn't bother me at all.

11:57I think it does make the space more cozy and it kind of adds.

12:02It's a focal point, I guess.

12:03I think the paper ones are too scary to sort of be making the bed with.

12:07You don't want to tear them.

12:08This one is really, it doesn't care what you do to it.

12:11Sometimes you need a beast of storage and somewhere to sort of stuff everything into and these are great.

12:18This is Victorian and they're called break front wardrobes.

12:22This splits into three pieces so you can get it up the stairs if you, does that capture you?

12:29The top comes off, which holds this door on.

12:32And then the two units on the side separate.

12:39I think Victorian furniture for Victorian buildings makes sense because they were designed at the same time as the buildings.

12:47So this being able to separate into different pieces means you could get it up the stairs or a narrow

12:52hallway or whatever.

12:57So the kitchen came from a house in Northcote.

13:01They were renovating and it came off marketplace.

13:04This bench, this shelf and the sink I think was $200.

13:09And then my friend Claire just painted it for me.

13:13This is actually quite out of hand at the moment, but that's fine.

13:16I do a lot of shoots and stuff here and it's great for them to have different props to work

13:21with.

13:22And I guess they can just pull whatever they need to from here.

13:25Instead of having a huge F off coffee machine, it's better to have 12 stowed on ones.

13:35These are normally made in Australia and well, I think we're kind of in every house.

13:40I love these cupboards the way that this one opens like that.

13:44And then this one opens like that.

13:47They were made in a time when there wasn't that much room in kitchens and you needed something to house

13:53everything.

13:54This has like a plate rack for all your plates and I put all my tea towels here.

13:59But this is like amazing for a small space because it's beautiful to look at, but it holds so much

14:06stuff.

14:06If you see on the side, it has this sort of mesh that flies and stuff couldn't get through.

14:13They're really common in Australia.

14:14This table, it's the first table I ever ate off in my life.

14:19My mum had it in a house in Warburton when I was born and I've just known it my entire

14:25life.

14:25The table is really light, so I can just move it to the middle of the room and get some

14:32chairs from the other room.

14:33And it just kind of changes the way the space feels.

14:36It feels more like a old kind of cottage kitchen, which is really nice.

14:43I'm very sentimental and objects really do link me to my past and my memories.

14:51So I feel like I'm losing that a little bit if I get rid of them and maybe I'll forget

14:57about that time in my life or whatever.

14:59Lately, I've said to myself that if I cannot possibly find this again, then you can keep it.

15:06But if you can find it again, then maybe you can let it go and just wait until the next

15:11time.

15:11This door was a full door and I cut it in half and it's a good space saver because before

15:19when you open the door, it would completely block use to the sink.

15:24I think it's very chic, don't you think?

15:27You do need this little part here to fill in the gaps so you can't see through, but you just

15:33add hinges to whatever side didn't have hinges and then Bob's your uncle.

15:38They're upside down as well. I think this is nicer.

15:41Obviously there was no storage in here.

15:44This unit originally came from David Jones.

15:47It was like a shop fitting piece, but I got it off marketplace.

15:52The toilet is right here. The sink is right here.

15:54There's nowhere to kind of put a cupboard or anything.

15:56So the circle shape really makes the space still flow really easy.

16:02The tiles I absolutely love.

16:04I'm very attracted to green and blue.

16:06I think they make me feel relaxed.

16:08And so the bathroom for me is very relaxing.

16:12There was a lot of this sort of iron stuff going on in different places in the house, but it's

16:17actually great.

16:18When I first got here, I'm like, oh, I'm taking that off, but it's kind of like a bit scary

16:23getting out onto the tiles.

16:24But this is so solid that I kind of don't worry.

16:28So good on you last tenants, but they did leave all these holes in the walls, which ruined me.

16:34So I filled them in with hooks and in here I've got like a Mexican torso that my friend gave

16:39me.

16:40I think sometimes when you've got a bit like this, you just need to find something to cover it up

16:46with and then it doesn't matter anymore.

16:48The shelf is by Nicole Lawrence.

16:51The sink is so low and there's no space on the sink to put anything.

16:55So having this shelf just kind of is storage and somewhere to put things down without taking up much space

17:01visually or physically.

17:03And you can still get down and wash your hands and everything like that.

17:07I don't think a bathroom needs to be huge.

17:09It would be great to like not have the toilet in the bathroom, but at the end of the day,

17:14it's just me here most of the time and it doesn't bother me.

17:18I mean, I don't even have the door closed when I'm in the bathroom most of the time, to be

17:22honest with you.

17:23It's kind of really zen to be able to sit onto the toilet and look out at the rest of

17:27the space.

17:34So this is the backyard.

17:36It's probably my favorite part of the place because it's where I get my little bit of nature and I

17:41can relax at the end of the day.

17:43All the plans came from my old place.

17:45Well, mostly I've collected a few since I've been here.

17:48This is my spot.

17:50I like to lie here.

17:51It's funny, you can see right through to the street from here so I can kind of keep guard of

17:58the shop.

18:00Obviously, everyone loves to have space, but I think you can create intimacy and romance in a smaller space.

18:08I can get overwhelmed with my objects sometimes, but it's made me be a good kind of curator and keeper

18:15of the objects, you know.

18:17How do people balance between quality and financially?

18:22Secondhand. You've got to buy secondhand.

18:24I think a lot of people want everything new and that it has to be perfect and like no one's

18:29ever touched it before.

18:30And I think it's just a silly attitude to have.

18:33A lot of materials that I like, wood, metal, glass, they're all something that you can decontaminate if you're really

18:41that worried about it.

18:42You just have to find what you love and what sort of speaks to you.

18:46And what you love will go naturally together, hopefully.

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