Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: St Kilda East House for Multi-Generational Living
If the thought of sharing your home with your mother-in-law makes you feel ill, look away now...
While living with the mother-in-law might sound like a waking nightmare to some, it was a savvy solution to housing (un)affordability for this young Melbourne couple and the husband’s mother. And clever planning means the living arrangements work for everyone now, and into the future. Architecture and interior design firm, Taylor Knights designed the extension with a budget of $510,000, which has now helped the young couple save up for a home of their own. Meanwhile, Mum now has added extra value to her own abode, for when she decides to downsize.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and the husband’s mother
Location: St Kilda East, Melbourne, Victoria
Size: 230 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and the husband’s mother
Location: St Kilda East, Melbourne, Victoria
Size: 230 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Architects and interior designers Taylor Knights‘ first project was an unconventional one – design an extension to accommodate the needs of both a young couple and the husband’s mother. The firm embraced the opportunity and have designed a flexible extension to a 1920s Federation home, balancing the needs of privacy and family interaction. Careful planning has created a combination of shared and private living areas, which allows each generation the opportunity to socialise or retreat as desired, ensuring everyone feels at home.
The architects resisted the urge to turn the project into two self-contained units – the clients are, after-all, family and they enjoy each others’ company. In concept, the front part of the house is the couple’s and the upstairs part of the extension is Mum’s. An open-plan kitchen and living area is shared by the whole family.
Sharing the kitchen, which is undoubtably a big-ticket item, means it had to be generously sized and is made of rich, decadent materials. These choices emphasise this shared space as the heart of the home, and help to bring the family together.
Eveneer timber veneer on joinery in ‘Ristretto’: Elton Group; Quadro HiTech Mixer: Abey
Eveneer timber veneer on joinery in ‘Ristretto’: Elton Group; Quadro HiTech Mixer: Abey
Aesthetically, the architects faced the challenge of representing and honouring the tastes of two generations in a single home. Luckily, both the young couple and Mum agreed to a relatively neutral palette complemented by high-quality material choices. Personality is brought to the spaces with striking and unusual materials, such as the ochre hues of weathered steel surrounding the fireplace in the living area.
When the full-length glass bifold doors are open, the shared kitchen and living area flows seamlessly onto a generous rear deck. Ironbark decking left to silver naturally, combined with the horizontality of a large-scale external Venetian blind, give this outdoor area a sense Zen-like calm.
External venetian blind: Maxim
External venetian blind: Maxim
A skylight crowns the double-height space above the stairs leading to Mum’s zone. This area has been treated as a feature of the home, to emphasise its function of connecting the private and shared spaces. The space is celebrated with a curved ceiling that helps to diffuse light and bounce it deep into the kitchen below.
Painted pegboard adds an unusual yet rich textural quality to the walls that you just don’t get with plasterboard – another quirky material choice to bring personality to this home. Meanwhile, brass wall sconces add another playful touch to the otherwise muted palette.
Wall sconce: Allied Maker; hardboard Pegboard: Gunnersens; skylight: Velux
Painted pegboard adds an unusual yet rich textural quality to the walls that you just don’t get with plasterboard – another quirky material choice to bring personality to this home. Meanwhile, brass wall sconces add another playful touch to the otherwise muted palette.
Wall sconce: Allied Maker; hardboard Pegboard: Gunnersens; skylight: Velux
A sliding door separates the revamped original section of the home (which has become the young couple’s domain) from the shared living zone, creating a clear boundary between public and private and helping the multi-generational living arrangement to work effectively.
The couples’ front living area has been updated to feel more modern and bright, but remains largely intact apart from the redesign of the front window. The window has been transformed into a modern window seat, custom-designed by the architects. The front garden was enclosed into a courtyard to give the young couple a private outdoor space of their own.
To ensure the whole house feels cohesive, this zone retains the neutral colour palette, but the couple wanted to show the fun side of their personalities, so furniture, artwork and a custom-designed pendant light liven up the space.
Upstairs is a master bedroom for Mum, complete with a full ensuite bathroom. Planning-wise, it’s easy to see how this house could just as easily work as a home for a couple with kids, the private spaces being the perfect retreats for parents and adolescents alike. This is no accident, the house was cleverly planned by the architects with built-in flexibility (and re-sale value) to change and grow with this family, or a different one.
The ensuite bathroom is also designed with future flexibility in mind. A double vanity is overkill for the mother, but would be perfect for a couple, while large-format tiles help the space to feel spa-like and luxurious. Full-height frosted louvres let in beautiful diffused light and provide plenty of ventilation, to prevent the bathroom becoming damp without compromising on privacy.
Roca Diverta Basins: Reece; tiles: Perini; louvre windows: Breezway
Roca Diverta Basins: Reece; tiles: Perini; louvre windows: Breezway
Mum even gets a cool converted roof space of her own. The space above the existing house has been transformed into a fun yet functional study loft. Perhaps in the future this might become a home office, gym or parent’s retreat.
While at this stage the house is the perfect way for the couple to get on the property ladder, and for Mum to downsize while enjoying the company of her family, it’s easy to see how this thoughtful design can grow and adapt into the future.
TELL US
What do you think about the way this home has been designed with two generations in mind? Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you think about the way this home has been designed with two generations in mind? Let us know in the Comments section.