A series of deliberate and considered moves by Melbourne-based architecture and interior design studio create ample space and light for a family of five while retaining a home’s heritage origins.
Located on a historically significant tree-lined street in Melbourne, the brief required a modern intervention that paid homage to the home’s heritage design. The home’s owners are previous clients of , so an inherent understanding of their needs as a family enabled the design team to create a manageable two-stage design – the first involving restoring and elevating the existing home.
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The kitchen features appliances; a Vitroline Pyrolytic built-in oven and Vitroline Compact combi-steam oven, as well as a and . Full-height kitchen joinery conceals a Miele integrated and . All appliances were specified for being intuitive to family life.
The island’s design is echoed through the home’s joinery as seen in the kitchen and master bedroom, in the same palette for a ‘seamless visual journey between rooms’.
The kitchen reflects the design team’s inherent attention to detail. Carr designed a concrete island bench fabricated by Concrete by Keenan who specialise in in-situ concrete.
Like many historic, original homes, this dwelling suffered from a lack of natural light and the tired feel of old extensions from the 1980s. However, the original details, such as leadlight bay windows and the gridded ceiling and wall panelling, had lost none of their beauty and inspired the conceptual design. “The home’s gridded heritage ceiling and wall panelling provided a starting point for a series of design decisions,” Carr associate Stephanie Poole says. “Working within the original envelope, the first stage involved restoring and elevating the existing home, making it livable for their family life.”
Small, disconnected rooms have made way for open kitchen, dining and living spaces with optimal north light brought in through a series of portals. While the new rooms offer generosity and openness, their original sense of character is retained through their proportions and details. “This illustrates the potential of working within an existing heritage building to integrate contemporary spatial principles of open plan living, without removing the essence of the original design,” Stephanie says.
The kitchen, always a focal point for family life, features a monolithic, concrete island bench fabricated by Concrete by Keenan. Miele Appliances were selected to reflect the integrity of the aesthetic and design standard.
Artwork by . The soft grey walls are intended to be a unified backdrop to the contemporary art collection.
The living, dining and kitchen area were opened up and reconnected as a ‘whole’, while the heritage character was retained through proportions and details. “This illustrates the potential of working within an existing heritage building to integrate contemporary spatial principles of open plan living, without removing the essence of the original design,” Carr associate Stephanie Poole says. The living room features the , and .
“The home’s gridded heritage ceiling and wall panelling provided a starting point for a
series of design decisions that inform both stages of the project. In this sense, the genesis
of the design derives from an original detail, creating an inherent link between past and
present.”
– Stephanie Poole, Associate
Carr’s associate Stephanie Poole says the leadlight bay windows and gridded ceiling, as seen in the dining space, provided starting points for the design’s inspiration and identity. The dining room features the .
The kitchen, always a focal point for family life, features a sculptural concrete island bench fabricated by Concrete by Keenan. Designed to be an asymmetrical and cantilevered plinth, the dimensions of the benchtop are repeated in joinery throughout the house, subtly aligning these proportions through consistency.
were selected to reflect the integrity of the aesthetic and design standard. The integrated and,, and steam oven are all by, as is the. The is intuitive to the family’s lifestyle; with FoodView allowing you to check on your cooking, anywhere at any time, and TasteControl preventing food from overcooking. For busy evenings when there’s not much time for cooking, the is a three-in-one appliance – oven, steam oven and combination steam oven. Both appliances feature Pyrolytic cleaning.
The integrated speaks to family life with ‘PerfectFresh’ ensuring food stays fresh for longer, and ComfortClean – which allows door shelves to be cleaned in the dishwasher. The integrated is designed to be neatly coupled with the integrated fridge, concealed behind Carr’s streamlined kitchen joinery.
Curated perspectives; the in the entrance. Carr reconfigured the home’s interior journey, straightening the corridor to create a clean line of sight east to west – a signature move in their projects.
The is featured beside a contemporary restoration of a brick fireplace and custom concrete details in the living space.
The master ensuite reflects “the feelings that the spaces ought to evoke” – of calming and easing the experience of the home.
The Basin Mounted tap in the master suite continues the thread of functional and sophisticated design.
One end of the house is assigned to private quarters. The master bedroom was reconfigured and extended to link to a walk-in-robe and ensuite, while custom-designed bunk beds, desks and a playroom are dedicated areas for children to live and play in. “We identified opportunities to reinstate the presence of the heritage elements through a process of calming and easing the experience of inhabiting the home,” Carr managing director Chris McCue says.
The home’s interiors are painted a soft grey, further emphasising the heritage detailing while creating a unified backdrop for the owners’ extensive contemporary art collection. Joinery details offer the same tonal continuity ensuring a seamless visual transition between rooms. Chris maintains that while they were excited to celebrate the period home’s bones, they have managed to insert a thoroughly modern interior architecture and amenity, “which completely reinvigorated the property”.
Carr extended the master bedroom to link the walk-in-robe and ensuite, while shifting the entrance for privacy.
The children’s bathroom interior expresses Carr’s intent to insert a completely modern interior architecture and amenity.
“A home is such a personal environment, so it is critical to truly understand how a person
or family want to live, the nuances of their rituals and daily patterns, and importantly, the
feelings that the spaces ought to evoke.”
– Stephanie Poole, Associate
The in the childrens’ bedroom. Custom-designed bunk beds and desks are dedicated for the children to ‘live and play in’.
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