Colourful, fun, and very retro, the Atomic Hideaway is a labour of love created by Newcastle-based couple Mel and Adam Driscoll.
"The Atomic Hideaway is a quirky 60-square-metre dwelling hidden away behind our main residential dwelling here in Newcastle," Adam says.
"We purchased the house and land in 2011 and saw potential in the extra land in the backyard. Although the property is only about 15 metres wide, it stretched back far enough for a second build project."
The Driscolls built the two-storey multipurpose dwelling behind their circa-1927, four-bedroom, double-brick home, a former's doctor's surgery, in Hamilton East in November 2020. They worked with GJ Gardner Homes Newcastle on the new space, with construction taking just five months.
The final build consists of a garage and car-build space on the lower level, and bright retro-revival themed short-stay accommodation, which sleeps four, and includes a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living space, and generous verandah. It also doubles as a photography studio, creative space, and greenroom for touring musicians and artists on the upper level.
Mel and Adam describe it as "the ultimate he shed/she shed for our creative interests, which also gifts us with passive income".
Adam - who works in tech as a software engineering development lead - is into vintage car builds and restoration, while Mel is obsessed with mid-century modern architecture and décor. Mel is a music journalist, photographer, events producer, and organiser who has worked both in Australia and the US, and a vintage pin-up and boudoir photographer who works under the pseudonym of 'Pearl Davies'.
"On top of this, Adam has also built a specialty prop and wardrobe room for the vintage pin-up and boudoir photography clientele that holds sizes six to 26-plus that I have been curating since I was 14 years of age. From memorabilia to old radios and even hand-made themed props, we've got it," Mel says.
The couple, who have travelled vastly and lived in the US, drew inspiration in styling the property from mid-century modern America, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, retro houses, and new-found creative friends on Instagram.
"We started an Instagram account (@atomic_hideaway) for our build that also showed off other retro revival creatives and mid-century modern spaces. A lot of those creatives then became collaborative vendors for the Atomic Hideaway build, muses and mentors for quirky pieces that have come to form the aesthetic of the Atomic Hideaway," Mel says.
They describe the Atomic Hideaway style as "quite a mixed bag of modern vintage chic, mixed with a bit of the groovy '70s, and a lick of Palm Springs - and we're not done yet".
"The plan is to take it right back to the '70s with wood panel walls, vintage drop-down lighting, even '70s print wallpaper we have stored in the main house here. We're even painting a groovy '70s supergraphic around the external perimeter of the dwelling."
Each room has a different colour pop, with cool vintage and retro-style pieces and details featured throughout the space, such as the Atomic Hideaway signage made by Holly from Atomic Avocado Designs in Phoenix; the black and white tile and clawfoot bath in the bathroom; the tiki mid-century world map replicas made by Tim's Custom Creatives in California; and a bright orange mid-century door piece by Atomic Foundry in Wisconsin.
"We had our kitchen door pulls specially made in resin and jade glitter by Deluxe Creations out of Perth, who usually make shift knobs for vintage hot rods, but were great in doing this custom make for us," Mel says.
"Although we have a lot of international influence in the Atomic Hideaway there's also so much that has been picked up right here in Australia, and even in Newcastle."
The couple cite upcycling as a favourite way to find things, through thrift and second-hand stores, deceased estates, online creatives they have found on social media, and Facebook Marketplace.
The response to Atomic Hideaway so far has been "amazing".
"We've had folks feeling like they're in a cartoon to commenting on the smallest additions that make the space unique, plus it's a quirky home away from home."
