Design Anthology Darling Apartment

interiors / art / architecture / travel

australia edition / issue 04

home / melbourne

New Possibilities

home / melbourne

T

hese days, the Great Aussie Dream is no longer a rose-coloured vision of turffronted houses sprawled across sleepy suburbia.

In 2021, the potent combination of astronomical property prices and a growing attraction to small-footprint living has turned the tide towards quality compact housing. Increasingly, discerning generations of first-home buyers and empty-nest downsizers are making forever homes out of enviably located, design-led multiresidence properties.

bedroom in place of a study, and a spacious ensuite complete with a freestanding tub.

Text Sandra Tan

‘Inner-city land is at such a premium that the ability to refurbish an existing apartment becomes an attractive proposition, and one that has less impact on the environment,’ says Smith. ‘The adaptive reuse aspect of the project is fascinating, considering how we might apply this approach to improving similar buildings across Australia.’

Images Sean Fennessy

Thoughtfully refurbished by Blair Smith Architecture, this standard two-bedroom apartment in Melbourne’s inner-city South Yarra is a warm and inviting home for a couple approaching retirement. While the original brief only required a kitchen and lounge renovation, as plans were revealed, so too were the abundant opportunities to improve the clients’ enjoyment of their home. ‘After drafting an initial layout that answered their brief, I threw in a few more design options that unlocked the entire apartment — I couldn’t help myself,’ Smith says. ‘We nicknamed the project The Mouse That Roared, because it all started with just a small intervention.’

An environment of simple comfort and tactility is created through a palette of natural textures against crisp white walls. Wool carpeting and European oak flooring underfoot combine with custom joinery in American oak veneer.

Precisely executed detailing comes to the fore in the kitchen, particularly evident in the bespoke timber-framed kitchen island composed of inlaid marble and mirrored steel, and the timber screen made of solid American oak battens that allows separation from the dining and living area. A request from the client, this dynamic element slides closed to enable a more intimate experience of the lounge, a function echoed by a full-height sliding panel that elegantly conceals the entertainment unit.

True to the metaphor, the home punches well above its weight thanks to clever remapping.

Additional floor space was introduced by extending into an underused rear balcony, which presented new spatial possibilities. In place of a dedicated laundry room, this function has instead been integrated into hallway cabinetry so as to add further meterage back to the living space. The apartment now comprises an extra

‘This project looks and feels completely different to anything I’ve done before, and that comes purely from working with the client to achieve the aesthetic that they’re interested in,’ says Smith. ‘As an architect, I see my role being more to listen and guide, to facilitate that selection process rather than dictate it.’

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Styling Jessica Lillico

In this inner-city apartment, a sliding panel conceals the entertainment unit in the living room (previous page), where Chris Martin’s Puddle table for Massproductions is paired with woven elements and wool carpeting. In the dining area (facing page), created by the removal of a storage room, light woods and white predominate, with Torii chairs in ash

by Forest Furniture and an Eero Saarinen dining table

Previous page Sheer linen curtains reduce visual noise and double as a crisp background for the natural textures and details of statement pieces like a Kakī lounge chair

by Jamie McLellan for Feelgood Designs and a HAY Mags sofa

This page Inga Sempé’s Matin light for HAY sits atop Kristina Dam’s Grid sideboard for FLOC Studio, an industrial touch the in the otherwise soft space

Facing page Curves and soft edges in the living room are offset by mirrored shelving that blurs the perception of the corner and doubles the collection of objects

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The bespoke timber-framed kitchen island sits behind a screen of solid American oak battens that can slide across a stone threshold to offer a sense of separation between the kitchen and living area

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The home is dotted with ceramic sculptures from Melbourne contemporary art and design gallery pépite

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The oak kitchen island features inlaid marble and mirrored steel, complemented by Jasper Morrison’s Zampa stools for Mattiazzi

Joinery elements were detailed to create a crafted backdrop to daily life, punctuated here by Auhaus pulls in brushed brass

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A rear extension over an under-utilised balcony meant that a generous ensuite could be incorporated into the floorplate. It’s given a minimal treatment with white stone, in both the Volakis Haemus vanity from Signorino and Bianco Carrara mosaic tiles, and while the highlight is the Alberta Stone freestanding tub from Vizzini, the globular Flos sconces and LAAL’s CONEHOME Stick pendant provide visual accents

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