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Houzz Tour: Grand Home Defies Demolishers in Glory-Restoring Reno
New meets old in a late-1850s Melbourne beauty given a modernist, mirrored twist
Designer Dina Malathounis has lived in and around the eclectic inner-Melbourne suburb of Windsor all her life. During that time, she has seen more than a few stately homes torn down and replaced with multi-storey apartments, so when one of the suburb’s last 1850s homes came onto the market, she made buying it her mission.
Not only did Malathounis manage to outbid developers who were planning to demolish the house, the designer restored the old house to its former glory, which included replacing the roof and more than 6,500 tiles on the verandah, among other things. She also added a modern extension – with a mirror finish – to make the home fit for 21st-century living. The ultimate goal? To ensure it would never be in danger of being demolished again.
Not only did Malathounis manage to outbid developers who were planning to demolish the house, the designer restored the old house to its former glory, which included replacing the roof and more than 6,500 tiles on the verandah, among other things. She also added a modern extension – with a mirror finish – to make the home fit for 21st-century living. The ultimate goal? To ensure it would never be in danger of being demolished again.
Removing the brown paint from the home’s facade revealed beautiful, hand-crafted Hawthorn bricks. A new Welsh slate roof was installed to complement the stately design, along with formal landscaping, a new brick and cast-iron front gate in keeping with the area, iron verandah posts, latticework and reconditioned original pavers.
“The home is beautifully located and just needed love and care,” says Malathounis. “It’s situated on a corner block that faces north and is bathed in sunlight; the orientation of the house was shifted to the north to maximise the north-facing backyard.”
“The home is beautifully located and just needed love and care,” says Malathounis. “It’s situated on a corner block that faces north and is bathed in sunlight; the orientation of the house was shifted to the north to maximise the north-facing backyard.”
The home was renovated in two stages over five years. First came the new roof – the home was leaking water – and water-damaged floorboards and ceilings were repaired or replaced. The walls inside were re-rendered and the hydronic heating replaced. The original verandah tiles were found buried under the existing verandah, so they were replicated to the same colour and size. Some 6,500 tiles were then laid to form the base of the verandah.
Aside from a rat-infested lean-to, the house was in original condition when the Junctions 90 team started work. The second stage was the extension to the home. Malathounis says she envisioned Killara as a low-maintenance, multi-generational
family home designed to respect its heritage structure and integrity.
“We took a Miesian approach, using simple materials such as concrete, steel and glass to connect the inside to the outside,” she says.
Malathounis refers to the delicate, clean lines of pioneering modernist architect Mies van der Rohe and his extensive use of glass, which inspired the extension’s design. “The thin concrete ceiling of the ground floor, as well as its cantilevered aspect and the cross-shaped columns that support the expansive structure, are elements picked up in the new design,” she says.
The addition houses a new family room, sunken lounge and the kitchen downstairs, and a self-contained apartment upstairs.
family home designed to respect its heritage structure and integrity.
“We took a Miesian approach, using simple materials such as concrete, steel and glass to connect the inside to the outside,” she says.
Malathounis refers to the delicate, clean lines of pioneering modernist architect Mies van der Rohe and his extensive use of glass, which inspired the extension’s design. “The thin concrete ceiling of the ground floor, as well as its cantilevered aspect and the cross-shaped columns that support the expansive structure, are elements picked up in the new design,” she says.
The addition houses a new family room, sunken lounge and the kitchen downstairs, and a self-contained apartment upstairs.
Mirrored stainless steel turns the rear facade into a feature. “The mirrored first-floor facade makes the extension disappear into its surrounding environment, keeping what is a relatively large extension from competing with the stately home,” Malathounis says.
The home’s original architectural features and light fittings were repaired wherever possible. The front door gives no hint of the contemporary extension hiding behind the 19th-century house.
A brick wall linking the old house to the new extension was carefully rebuilt by artisan craftsmen. “To avoid a heavy connection of old to new, a glass walkway was added between the new structure and the old,” Malathounis says.
She says the two surprises that could not have been envisaged before work began were the necessity to rebuild this brick wall, and the considerable depth of the old bluestone footings that were found under the former
lean-to, which housed the old living and kitchen area. About 30 cubic metres of bluestone boulders had to be removed, and were later donated to a local nursery.
She says the two surprises that could not have been envisaged before work began were the necessity to rebuild this brick wall, and the considerable depth of the old bluestone footings that were found under the former
lean-to, which housed the old living and kitchen area. About 30 cubic metres of bluestone boulders had to be removed, and were later donated to a local nursery.
The ground floor extension has an open-plan dining/kitchen area and sunken lounge room.
In the kitchen, the island benchtop is marble, while the benchtop in the adjoining pantry is granite. The kitchen joinery is made out of 18 millimetre plywood instead of the more commonly used MDF. Plywood posed interesting challenges in terms of workability and painting its surface, but was chosen for its green credentials.
Polished concrete floors make for low-maintenance living. “The renovation was largely about bringing the home into the 21st century, taking into account housing trends from an aesthetic perspective and a liveability perspective,” Malathounis says.
The home was designed to bring the family together. The family room, for example, is linked to the library so the family can connect while everybody is doing their own thing. The couple’s son is in Year 12 and virtually lives in the library, but can connect with family members while they’re cooking or conversing nearby. The desk in the library is custom-made from a slab of redgum. Distressed cowhides and leather from NSW Leather add texture to the space, while lighting selections honour the home’s past.
The designer and builders went to great lengths to preserve and restore the home’s original details, including the elaborate ceiling roses and cornices. In the library, this proved especially challenging. “The old ceiling was knocked out and the ceiling that held the rose up was left intact, pending the removal of the rose,” Malathounis explains. “Scaffolding was erected under the rose and then the painstaking task of working underneath it and removing all 16 pieces commenced. A few hours later, 15 pieces were removed. The last one broke.”
A local craftsperson created a mould replica of the original design to fully restore the ceiling rose, and that same mould is now being used to create new ceiling roses, saving a small piece of Australian history.
The designer and builders went to great lengths to preserve and restore the home’s original details, including the elaborate ceiling roses and cornices. In the library, this proved especially challenging. “The old ceiling was knocked out and the ceiling that held the rose up was left intact, pending the removal of the rose,” Malathounis explains. “Scaffolding was erected under the rose and then the painstaking task of working underneath it and removing all 16 pieces commenced. A few hours later, 15 pieces were removed. The last one broke.”
A local craftsperson created a mould replica of the original design to fully restore the ceiling rose, and that same mould is now being used to create new ceiling roses, saving a small piece of Australian history.
A polished white-concrete base for the sunken lounge was custom designed. The curtain tracks, speakers and lighting tracks were recessed into the formwork of the ground-floor ceiling prior to the concrete slab being poured, making the build very technical. The formwork then had to be removed without damaging the track. “This ended up being one of the most successful details of the build, but also the most challenging,” Malathounis says.
In-floor heating keeps the home feeling cosy in the cooler months and is one of the family’s favourite things about their new abode. Other favourite features are the exposed concrete ceiling, sunken lounge, and the extension’s clean, minimalist lines.
In-floor heating keeps the home feeling cosy in the cooler months and is one of the family’s favourite things about their new abode. Other favourite features are the exposed concrete ceiling, sunken lounge, and the extension’s clean, minimalist lines.
As housing prices continue to increase to unaffordable levels, Malathounis has recognised the importance of making the home flexible enough to be able to accommodate multi-generational living into the future. The upstairs extension is self-contained with the idea of housing grown-up children or elderly parents. Downstairs, the open-plan design enables family connection. “The old extension had lots of little rooms and it was almost impossible for everyone to be in the one space at the same time,” Malathounis says.
The extension’s self-contained upstairs apartment has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area and kitchenette/study.
Three bedrooms in the original home were restored with the home’s stately past in mind.
Lamp: Artemide
Lamp: Artemide
BDAV judging panel chair Marc Bernstein-Hussmann praised the design for taking advantage of an outstanding structure that was fortunate to have been saved from developers at auction. “It’s great to see a stately home preserved with respect and integrity,” Bernstein-Hussmann says. “Showcasing a beautiful interpretation of modernist architectural values, this project pushes the creative boundaries to produce a truly unique and inspiring design.”
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Who lives here: Designer Dina Malathounis, with her husband and their two children, aged 17 and 12
Location: Windsor, Victoria
Size: Site: 900 square metres, home: 420 square metres; 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Designer: Junctions 90
Awards: Known as ‘Killara’, the restored heritage home took out this year’s Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV) award for Building Design of the Year, along with awards in the categories for Residential Restoration, Alterations & Additions over $500K, Interior Design and Excellence in Use of Steel.
Killara is an Aboriginal word that aptly means ‘permanent’ or ‘always there’, which is just what designer Dina Malathounis set out to do when she restored and extended the stately home she had saved from developers. Taking cues from neighbouring properties, the heritage home was rejuvenated inside and out. To the rear, a two-storey pavilion-style addition is almost invisible from the street.