Finalist of several architectural awards, the renovation of Kate’s House is impressive. But it’s the collaboration between Bower Architecture and the client that may have proved its greatest success.

“Living here has brought sanity and serenity into our lives,” says homeowner Kate Cowen, who engaged Bower Architecture to renovate the 1960s’ modernist house. After falling in love with a home designed by the Melbourne architecture firm, Kate was keen to collaborate with the design team and began the search for the ideal property.

Seeing the potential of a home in St Kilda East, it was the mutual appreciation for good design that gave Kate the confidence Bower Architecture could help realise her vision of creating a “home for living in”, all the while remaining true to the 1960s era. Co-director Jade Vidal felt the respect for the value of the design process was there from the beginning – an encouraging sign that the project was off to a good start.

Architect: Bower Architecture
Photographer: Shannon Mcgrath