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Houzz Tour: A Finely Tuned Apartment Above a Violin Shop
Once tired and rundown, this shop-top residence is now warm, comfortable and plays to a new modern tune
Specialist violin sellers and repairers Alex and Marina Grant live above their violin shop in Collingwood, Melbourne. While the Victorian building presents a colourful brick facade that contributes to the vibrant heritage of the neighbourhood, the interior had become tired and somewhat rundown. The Grants engaged Tsai Design to refresh and modernise their residence with a finely tuned vision.
“It was a veritable time capsule,” says Jack Chen, director of Tsai Design. “There were few creature comforts, and midnight treks to the bathroom downstairs were gruelling in winter. Our plan was for simple, modern conveniences as well as some hidden pleasures.”
“It was a veritable time capsule,” says Jack Chen, director of Tsai Design. “There were few creature comforts, and midnight treks to the bathroom downstairs were gruelling in winter. Our plan was for simple, modern conveniences as well as some hidden pleasures.”
Typical of Victorian shopfront terraces, the building had a long and narrow floor plan (4.5 metres wide), which limited light and ventilation.
The client wanted to refresh the interior, improve the use of space and make it more thermally comfortable throughout the year. “The client’s brief was quite simple. They were looking for a dedicated bedroom (versus their previous studio space), a bathroom on the first floor, and an outdoor space,” says Chen. But he did much better than that, reconfiguring the apartment to include two bedrooms and incorporate four outdoor spaces.
The client wanted to refresh the interior, improve the use of space and make it more thermally comfortable throughout the year. “The client’s brief was quite simple. They were looking for a dedicated bedroom (versus their previous studio space), a bathroom on the first floor, and an outdoor space,” says Chen. But he did much better than that, reconfiguring the apartment to include two bedrooms and incorporate four outdoor spaces.
The violin shop, workshop and office are on the ground floor. Stairs at the centre of the building lead upstairs, with an open-plan living area, dining space and kitchen toward the front of the house, and two bedrooms and a bathroom toward the rear.
Struggling with a tricky site? Find an architect near you on Houzz for a custom-designed solution
Struggling with a tricky site? Find an architect near you on Houzz for a custom-designed solution
The central stairwell connects and separates the Grants’ business and home. Tsai Design introduced a translucent roof to create a skylight, transforming the stairwell into a light well and bringing sun deep into the upstairs and downstairs plan.
The walls are painted Dulux Chrysanthemum Leaf, an olive green that when bathed in natural light provides the illusion of greenery so the stairwell evokes a sense of the outdoors. “It feels more like a well-lit courtyard than a threshold between business and home,” says Chen.
Toledo Opal Pendant: About Space Lighting
Toledo Opal Pendant: About Space Lighting
The sense of the outdoors can be appreciated through the window behind the dining table, providing a backdrop to the built-in bench seat with storage.
Coty Dining Table and Forms NBC Chairs: Apato
Coty Dining Table and Forms NBC Chairs: Apato
Additional seating is provided at the end of the dining table, where the stone plinth of the fireplace rises to a landing, which leads to the rooftop-terrace steps. Tsai Design used joinery like this to connect different functions together. “This approach was to give a sense of continuity to the spaces, and to make the space feel bigger,” says Chen.
Nectre Wood Heater N60: Nectre
Nectre Wood Heater N60: Nectre
Similarly, timber shelving frames the division between the living area and kitchen, which overlooks Smith Street and maintains the heritage windows.
Raft Sofa and Yukar Coffee Table: Apato
Raft Sofa and Yukar Coffee Table: Apato
The white-painted walls and ceiling enhance the light and sense of space, while cork floors look and feel soft underfoot, keeping the open-plan room warm and quiet.
Cork flooring: Market Timbers
Cork flooring: Market Timbers
Olive green continues in the kitchen across the splashback tiles and Forbo linoleum benchtop. The cabinetry and wall are painted in Dulux Dollar to complement the timber joinery. Leather handles on the drawers and cupboards are textured and tactile.
Leather flat handle in saddle tan: Made Measure; Piemonte tiles 150 x 75 millimetres in Apple: Classic Ceramics; ‘Travertine’ grout: Ardex; Appliances: Fisher & Paykel; Kitchen joinery: MTR Designer Cabinets
Browse more Australian kitchens with pops of green
Browse more Australian kitchens with pops of green
The steps next to the dining table lead up to a new rooftop deck above the guest bedroom. Here the Grants can relax and entertain, taking in skyline views of Collingwood.
A smaller deck extends off the master bedroom at the rear of the house and is enclosed by a patterned screen facade. “It’s the perfect sunny perch for a morning coffee,” says Chen. There’s another outdoor area next to the guest bedroom, where a courtyard doubles as a drying space for the laundry.
A skylight drenches the new ensuite with natural light, and brings out the colour, grain and veining of the timber-and-tile palette.
Timber-look tiles around the shower create a nature-inspired setting that, like the stairwell, evokes the feeling of being outdoors.
Timeless Amani Grey tiles: Beaumont Tiles; Elite basin: Timberline Bathroom Products; Etic Rovere Matt tile: Stonetile Ind
Timber-look tiles around the shower create a nature-inspired setting that, like the stairwell, evokes the feeling of being outdoors.
Timeless Amani Grey tiles: Beaumont Tiles; Elite basin: Timberline Bathroom Products; Etic Rovere Matt tile: Stonetile Ind
The rear extension accommodates a fourth outdoor space, which now extends from the ground-floor office with steps to the car park below.
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More
Missed our last Houzz Tour? Check out this huge Houzz Tour: A Knockdown-Rebuild With an Elegant Hamptons Vibe
Your turn
What’s your favourite feature here? Tell us in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Missed our last Houzz Tour? Check out this huge Houzz Tour: A Knockdown-Rebuild With an Elegant Hamptons Vibe
Who lives here: Alex and Marina Grant, specialist violin sellers and repairers
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Size: 106 square metres (first floor) and an 18-square-metre rooftop deck
Architecture and design: Tsai Design
Builder: Sustainable Homes Melbourne
The terrace building is located within the Smith Street Heritage Overlay Area of Fitzroy and Collingwood, an area that is aesthetically and historically significant as Melbourne’s most important commercial strip of Victorian and Edwardian-era shops. The Heritage Overlay required the front facade be preserved, while the rear could be extended, facing the back lane.