Houzz Tour: Beach Meets Modern in a Bold Minimalist Home
Clean lines and a perforated metal facade shine in a Melbourne home that maximises light and space
Julia Fairley
16 November 2017
Chief Sub-Editor and Writer, Houzz Australia and New Zealand. I love design and architecture that is thoughtful, sophisticated and champions an element of the unexpected. Before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts at UNSW and becoming a journalist, I studied interior architecture. For over a decade I have interviewed inspiring creative minds from around the world to write about design in its many different forms. Recently, I have also become an accidental gardener, to everyone's surprise.
Chief Sub-Editor and Writer, Houzz Australia and New Zealand. I love design and architecture... More
Before Northbourne Architecture + Design director Sally Holbrook took on the renovation of this Melbourne townhouse, it was cold, dark, leaking, had rotting timber doors, wasted space and seriously lacked privacy. Its owners had lived in their South Yarra home for almost a decade. But such was the property’s state that when they were due to become the proud parents of twin girls, the couple considered selling up and moving out.
However, the two-minute walk to the bustling Prahran Market, four-minute walk to a central tram and train hub, and the site’s north-facing aspect with front and rear access were major drawcards. Instead, the couple decided to stay put, renovate and extend. The result is a family home that balances the cheeriness of youth with the crispness of maturity.
However, the two-minute walk to the bustling Prahran Market, four-minute walk to a central tram and train hub, and the site’s north-facing aspect with front and rear access were major drawcards. Instead, the couple decided to stay put, renovate and extend. The result is a family home that balances the cheeriness of youth with the crispness of maturity.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three-year-old twins
Location: South Yarra, Victoria
Size: 164-square metre lot; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 powder room
Budget: $610,000
Year completed: 2017
Architect: Northbourne Architecture + Design
That’s interesting: Commendation in the 2017 ArchiTeam Awards’ Residential Alterations category
Originally the homeowners approached Northbourne Architecture + Design with an ideal budget of $400,000. However, their brief was extensive, and included adding an extra bedroom into the originally three-bedroom home. It soon became clear that this figure was not going to achieve the home they hoped for.
Who lives here: A couple and their three-year-old twins
Location: South Yarra, Victoria
Size: 164-square metre lot; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 powder room
Budget: $610,000
Year completed: 2017
Architect: Northbourne Architecture + Design
That’s interesting: Commendation in the 2017 ArchiTeam Awards’ Residential Alterations category
Originally the homeowners approached Northbourne Architecture + Design with an ideal budget of $400,000. However, their brief was extensive, and included adding an extra bedroom into the originally three-bedroom home. It soon became clear that this figure was not going to achieve the home they hoped for.
“In the end they were not willing to sacrifice their requirements or level of finish,” says Holbrook. “They felt the house was for a lifetime and they didn’t want to be sitting in their lounge room wishing they hadn’t made the sacrifices – because once the house is built, it’s done, there’s no going back.” The final cost of the project was $610,000.
Holbrook launched into the design process in 2014 and the build started in November 2015. To the horror of all parties involved, a few unsavoury surprises doubled the initial seven-month timeline. These came in the form of a surveyor’s oversight, delayed sub-contractors, and a structural anomaly that was inconveniently discovered mid-way through the build. But by 2017, the home was finished.
Holbrook launched into the design process in 2014 and the build started in November 2015. To the horror of all parties involved, a few unsavoury surprises doubled the initial seven-month timeline. These came in the form of a surveyor’s oversight, delayed sub-contractors, and a structural anomaly that was inconveniently discovered mid-way through the build. But by 2017, the home was finished.
Upon stepping across the threshold on the ground floor, you are transported into a bright oasis of clean lines and airy spaciousness. An uncluttered, open-plan living area flows into the kitchen and dining space beyond, while light pours through the full-height double-glazed doors at the front and rear of the property.
Kirriwirri rug: Designer Rugs; Leeroy sofa, Featherston Scabf Scape Armchair in ‘Caramel’ leather: Grazia & Co
Kirriwirri rug: Designer Rugs; Leeroy sofa, Featherston Scabf Scape Armchair in ‘Caramel’ leather: Grazia & Co
Cleverly designed joinery with ample storage space lines the walls in a solution that bridges the homeowners’ divergent styles. “One loves watching TV, while the other does not,” says Holbrook. “The compromise was a large TV that’s available to watch, but when it’s not in use it’s nowhere to be seen.”
SameSame side tables: LAAL; fireplace: Jetmaster Fireplaces
SameSame side tables: LAAL; fireplace: Jetmaster Fireplaces
Ask Holbrook what presented the greatest challenge with this project and she cites the owners’ different aesthetic preferences. The couple showed her some inspirational images on Houzz to help articulate their individual styles, which were quite dissimilar.
“One likes the beachy, relaxed look and feel whereas the other likes modern and clean-yet-bold minimalist design,” says Holbrook. “This made the design process quite challenging, but after a few revisions we managed to come up with a solution that both owners connect with in their own way.”
“One likes the beachy, relaxed look and feel whereas the other likes modern and clean-yet-bold minimalist design,” says Holbrook. “This made the design process quite challenging, but after a few revisions we managed to come up with a solution that both owners connect with in their own way.”
The solution in question is the distinctive v-grooves in the joinery that runs the length of the ground floor along the wall behind the kitchen. These clean, bold, continuous elements – coupled with pronounced shadow lines – create a rhythmic, linear quality throughout the living areas.
“We then softened this by introducing whitewashed ply and limed oak floors, also often found in beach and country cottages,” says Holbrook. “Internally, the light timber finishes are now warm and inviting. This feature presented a way to bridge the two design styles preferred by each owner.”
“We then softened this by introducing whitewashed ply and limed oak floors, also often found in beach and country cottages,” says Holbrook. “Internally, the light timber finishes are now warm and inviting. This feature presented a way to bridge the two design styles preferred by each owner.”
Similar to the television hidden in the living room joinery, we see the act of concealing and revealing repeated in the kitchen. This workhorse of a space is in constant use, so Holbrook integrated the fridge and freezer and included hidden storage to prevent cooking equipment from cluttering the clean lines of sight in the open-plan setting.
“We always love our signature concealed appliance cupboard – it’s a great way to create functionality in a space while maintaining the aesthetic qualities,” says Holbrook. “We find this is particularly useful in smaller spaces when there is not enough room for a butler’s pantry.”
SameSame stools in ‘China White/Terrazzo’, Conehome pendant light in ‘China White’: LAAL; benchtop porcelain tile in ‘White’: Maximum
“We always love our signature concealed appliance cupboard – it’s a great way to create functionality in a space while maintaining the aesthetic qualities,” says Holbrook. “We find this is particularly useful in smaller spaces when there is not enough room for a butler’s pantry.”
SameSame stools in ‘China White/Terrazzo’, Conehome pendant light in ‘China White’: LAAL; benchtop porcelain tile in ‘White’: Maximum
Few spaces escaped Holbrook’s metaphorical wrecking ball; most rooms were taken apart to pave the way for the home you now see.
“To bring the existing building up to scratch, all but its timber bones, southern facade and roof were abandoned,” says Holbrook.
“The only rooms in the whole house that remained relatively unaltered were the two bedrooms at the southern end, but they still had new floors, new double-glazed windows, new plantation shutters and new robes.”
Before they renovated, the homeowners rarely used their outdoor spaces. The original areas were tiered and not easily accessed, so Holbrook designed the new timber decking flush with the interior to improve the flow between inside and out.
Engineered timber floorboards in ‘Oak’: Havwoods; Tipsy bowl: LAAL
“The only rooms in the whole house that remained relatively unaltered were the two bedrooms at the southern end, but they still had new floors, new double-glazed windows, new plantation shutters and new robes.”
Before they renovated, the homeowners rarely used their outdoor spaces. The original areas were tiered and not easily accessed, so Holbrook designed the new timber decking flush with the interior to improve the flow between inside and out.
Engineered timber floorboards in ‘Oak’: Havwoods; Tipsy bowl: LAAL
Now, courtyards at the northern and southern ends of the interior have become fully functional extensions of the home. Stand almost anywhere in the open-plan living areas and these private alfresco sanctuaries draw your gaze outside and beckon to you to explore beyond the home’s walls.
Tallowwood timber deck: Tait Timber; Anchor two-tiered outside table: Grazia & Co
Tallowwood timber deck: Tait Timber; Anchor two-tiered outside table: Grazia & Co
As part of the brief, the homeowners tasked Northbourne Architecture + Design with transforming the existing damp, dim interior into one bathed in light. The original 18-year-old townhouse lacked privacy from the busy street, so the owners were often forced to draw the blinds, which darkened the rooms even further. “It only made sense to use white,” says Holbrook of the new design.
Basin: Reece; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
Basin: Reece; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
A low-maintenance and family-friendly home was also critical – no surprise for a couple with young children. Here, the concealed laundry is located within a stone’s throw from the kitchen and dining area, which – if you have ever seen the clothes of three-year-old twins after they have gleefully attacked a freshly cooked dinner – is an ingenious arrangement of space.
Laundry tub and pull-out mixer: Ikea; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
Laundry tub and pull-out mixer: Ikea; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
The upper level is dedicated to four bedrooms and two bathrooms, while the lower level accommodates the living areas, laundry, and even manages to squeeze in a garage.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this home, which immediately catches your eye from the street, is the white perforated sheeting that gave this house its nickname: PerfPad.
Also visible from this upstairs master bedroom, the crisp perforated sheeting is one of Holbrook’s favourite aspects of the design. “The selection of aluminium as an external material was an obvious choice, however, we needed to bring light into the property while not reducing privacy, so perforations were born,” Holbrook explains. “Understanding how colour works, we were able to use this to our advantage to improve privacy. We selected the colour white in the foreground because it limits what the eye can see beyond.”
Retractable fly screen: Centor; roller blackout blind: AP Shutters + Blinds
Also visible from this upstairs master bedroom, the crisp perforated sheeting is one of Holbrook’s favourite aspects of the design. “The selection of aluminium as an external material was an obvious choice, however, we needed to bring light into the property while not reducing privacy, so perforations were born,” Holbrook explains. “Understanding how colour works, we were able to use this to our advantage to improve privacy. We selected the colour white in the foreground because it limits what the eye can see beyond.”
Retractable fly screen: Centor; roller blackout blind: AP Shutters + Blinds
This stylistic signature acts as a visual shield for the family without severing access to sunlight. “The most surprising feature is the incredible dappled light that spills onto the deck on the ground floor and into the balcony and master suite on the first floor, created by white perforated metal,” says Holbrook. “It is a truly delightful effect – one that was envisaged during the design phase – but the true beauty and transformative effect was not fully understood until experienced.”
Custom perforated powdercoated aluminium sheet: Perftech
Custom perforated powdercoated aluminium sheet: Perftech
If you quiz the owners about their favourite features, they also speak of the patterned light play that dances across their home throughout the day, courtesy of the property’s perforated skin. But as well as letting natural light pour in, the couple wanted a home that kept Melbourne’s wildly variable weather out.
“Ten years of suffering from severe temperature fluctuations within the home instilled a requirement for comfortable indoor air quality and temperatures,” says Holbrook.
“Ten years of suffering from severe temperature fluctuations within the home instilled a requirement for comfortable indoor air quality and temperatures,” says Holbrook.
Northbourne Architecture + Design embraced a passive approach wherever possible to cut down on unnecessary energy consumption.
New insulation was installed throughout, the full-height thin-profile doors and windows are double glazed, a new fireplace and hydronic heating keep the home cosy in winter, the overhanging balcony canopies offer welcome shade in summer, and hidden retractable flyscreens usher a bug-free cross breeze into the home, almost eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Basins and vanity: Omvivo; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
New insulation was installed throughout, the full-height thin-profile doors and windows are double glazed, a new fireplace and hydronic heating keep the home cosy in winter, the overhanging balcony canopies offer welcome shade in summer, and hidden retractable flyscreens usher a bug-free cross breeze into the home, almost eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Basins and vanity: Omvivo; floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
“The owners now enjoy minimal temperature fluctuations and are consistently comfortable year round,” says Holbrook. The flexibility we saw with the hidden television and appliance cupboard downstairs is echoed upstairs in the room adjacent to the master bedroom. Here you see a fully concealed home office, which can be cleverly hidden from view when not in use.
Artworks: Maegan Brown
Artworks: Maegan Brown
“The flexible space also doubles as a spare room for the family’s frequenting visitors and will eventually find its place as a twins’ retreat as they grow older,” says Holbrook.
For now, however, the family of four is enjoying being happily ensconced in their fresh, new home.
‘Diverge 03’ artwork: Maegan Brown
For now, however, the family of four is enjoying being happily ensconced in their fresh, new home.
‘Diverge 03’ artwork: Maegan Brown
“They love the improved function of the house,” says Holbrook. “They can now use their private outdoor spaces properly and they love the newfound access to light.”
Basin and vanity: Ikea; wall and floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
Tell us
What features of this home do you love? Share your thoughts in the comments below, save your favourite images and like, share and bookmark this story.
Basin and vanity: Ikea; wall and floor tiles: DeFazio Tiles and Stone
Tell us
What features of this home do you love? Share your thoughts in the comments below, save your favourite images and like, share and bookmark this story.
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I've heard it does cost more to extend or renovate proportionate to a new build because of demolition and refitting work. Still a lot of money.
Thanks for your comments, everyone, we love hearing your thoughts. @blabs, every build, site and brief is so different and can result in hugely different price tags. It's true that building from scratch is generally cheaper than renovating, which @olldroo says. For more information on the subject of how much it really costs to build, stay tuned in 2018 as Houzz has some great information and stories coming out on the topic.