Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Heritage Warehouse Conversion Entertains With Art
A gutsy renovation of a heritage brick warehouse creates an inner urban sanctuary for art and entertainment in Melbourne
After deciding to move out of their Victorian family home, a well-travelled couple settled on relocating to a beautiful heritage warehouse just outside of Melbourne’s CBD. In renovating the warehouse, BG Architecture’s goal was to create a flexible living space that allowed the homeowners’ extensive collection of artwork to be displayed to full effect, as well as providing a space for entertaining guests and grandchildren.
Architect Donna Brzezinski worked closely with the clients and Fahnle Builders to transform the warehouse into a beautiful, environmentally savvy home. The renovation took two years from conception and was completed in 2015. The result is a wonderful double-level layout that maintains the charm of the site’s original materials and industrial feel, without compromising on modern luxury.
Architect Donna Brzezinski worked closely with the clients and Fahnle Builders to transform the warehouse into a beautiful, environmentally savvy home. The renovation took two years from conception and was completed in 2015. The result is a wonderful double-level layout that maintains the charm of the site’s original materials and industrial feel, without compromising on modern luxury.
In a bold decision that reflects the site’s complete change of function from worksite to home, only the perimeter walls and roof trusses were retained during the overhaul. Since its repurposing, the only two rooms that remain from the original warehouse floorpan are the two garages at the rear.
The renovation has been carried out with consideration of today’s current energy standards and requirements. The joint ambition between the homeowner and architect was to make the building sustainable, water-tight and low maintenance.
A polished concrete slab, which serves as the warehouse’s floor, was installed as part of the renovation; it is fully insulated and contains hydronic heating. Heat loss is prevented with the help of double-glazed, steel-framed windows that equip this home for Melbourne’s cooler months. An underground rainwater tank was also installed for garden irrigation, along with a solar hot water system for more energy-efficient water use throughout the house.
A polished concrete slab, which serves as the warehouse’s floor, was installed as part of the renovation; it is fully insulated and contains hydronic heating. Heat loss is prevented with the help of double-glazed, steel-framed windows that equip this home for Melbourne’s cooler months. An underground rainwater tank was also installed for garden irrigation, along with a solar hot water system for more energy-efficient water use throughout the house.
The original building’s red brick walls – along with the timber roof trusses and ceiling lining boards – inspired the material palette for the home. “It is always a challenge to maintain the existing charm of the original materials of a project like this,” Brzezinski says. “However, as a team we have been successful in maintaining the integrity and grace of the heritage fabric.”
Hoping to let in as much natural light as possible for a bright and open home, the orientation of the site optimises exposure to the sun on the north-facing facade. The main living space then captures even more northern light with the use of skylights.
Kelly Chairs: Jardan Australia
Hoping to let in as much natural light as possible for a bright and open home, the orientation of the site optimises exposure to the sun on the north-facing facade. The main living space then captures even more northern light with the use of skylights.
Kelly Chairs: Jardan Australia
The placement of artwork throughout the home has been carefully considered by the homeowners. In the living room, steel display shelving hugs the wall that leads into the master bedroom, to allow plenty of opportunities for the couple to display their enviable collection of artefacts from their world travels.
Errol Couch: Jardan Australia
Errol Couch: Jardan Australia
Art takes pride of place even in the bedroom. Here, the blues and dark tones of the bedlinen complement the works on the wall. The timber in the overhead trusses is echoed in the framing, bedside table and chair.
This ensuite is accessed via the walk-in wardrobe off the main bedroom, and perfectly exemplifies the modern warehouse style. Making the most of the narrow space, BG Architecture has fitted a generously-sized shower, a double-basin vanity and a toilet. Outside the window, garden greenery creates soft shadowing to counteract the industrial edge.
The kitchen is saturated in northern sun from the central courtyard, making entertaining in the living room and outdoor areas a pleasant, light-filled experience.
Built in a galley style, the kitchen shows off the home’s expansive size and warehouse features, including the high beam ceilings and exposed brick walls.
Le Lamp Gras lights: Luke Furniture
Le Lamp Gras lights: Luke Furniture
Cabinetry: Ideal Wardrobes & Cabinets
For warm Melbourne days, the courtyard is the perfect spot to soak up the sun. It is open to the elements and can be used as a passage between the living room and the den. The choice to break up the living zones ensures a private zone for the couple to enjoy, while also maximising the amount of light reaching the inside of the home – this creates a clear visual connection between the two spaces.
The den is also accessible via an indoor hallway. Gallery-scale in volume, the couple’s art collection takes pride of place here as well in the home’s living spaces. Paintings hung on the whitewashed brick walls in the indoor hallway are spared direct sunlight, while the built-in tiled bench opposite allows residents and visitors to enjoy them in comfort.
In the den, the warm timber tones, dark tiling on the fireplace and the use of the beautiful patterned Gan Mangas rug help to create a warm and welcoming place to relax, or to get some good reading done.
Side table: Moroso Mark
Side table: Moroso Mark
Originally, the homeowners considered having the main living area on the upper level of their home, but ultimately decided for the living area and master bedroom to occupy the ground floor, with two bedrooms on the second level instead. One of the upper level bedrooms can double as a studio space, with a visual connection to the den on the lower level, or it can be closed up with retractable panels.
Mary Noall supplied all of the bathroom fittings and fixtures for the house, and worked closely with the architects and homeowners. This white-on-white choice for the main bathroom upstairs creates a clean, fresh feel that works well to offset the industrial brick, concrete and timber materials throughout the rest of the house.
TELL US
What do you like about this warehouse conversion? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you like about this warehouse conversion? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Size: Just over 300 square metres
The building was constructed over a hundred years ago as a warehouse, likely for the nearby timber yards. The transformation from a warehouse to a liveable home required careful consideration of the clients’ needs, and how the space would function overall in its new capacity. The brief was to allow for plenty of room to display the clients’ impressive art and antiquities collection, while simultaneously prioritising design that would allow for entertaining and easy living.
Brzezinski, the co-founder of BG Architecture, recalls the project as a “wonderful treat for an architect”, describing the process as “a collaborative design journey, with a client who was able to imagine creating a home within a single-level industrial building.”