The clients of Melbourne-based architects WHDA wanted a complete refresh of their three bedroom apartment in East Melbourne, Australia.
Located just 2 kilometres from Melbourne’s Central Business District, genteel East Melbourne is renowned for its stately Victorian terraces, art deco buildings, and parks.
Restaurants, theatres, supermarkets, and local services are all within walking distance of the many apartment buildings found in this desirable suburb.
Spring Street offers European-style cafes and glitzy musicals at the opulent Princess Theatre.
Office workers lunch in sprawling Fitzroy Gardens and the wide steps of nearby Parliament House are a popular meeting place.
And the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) draws crowds for cricket and Australian football matches.
WHDA’s clients apartment was to serve as their primary residence after downsizing from a house in the country.
Two of the rooms were designated as separate study rooms that could be flexible guest bedrooms, leaving the open plan living and kitchen as wholly shared spaces.
Faced with a lack of natural light and overlooking from the offices opposite the west-facing balcony, WHDA’s design replaced the existing plantation shutters with a simple sheer curtain.
The client conversation then steered towards embracing low light levels with a sombre material palette; a textured canvas for art and curios collected throughout their travels.
A satin black stained veneer wall of scalloped timber planks unfurls from the entry hallway.
It runs across the dining and living spaces like a lacquerware cabinet.
Its three pivot doors conceal the laundry, storage cupboards, and threshold to the main bedroom.
This creates a from dark to light surprise.
Apart from maximising concealed storage space, WHDA’s clients wanted a streamlined reorganization of the living space and kitchen to include an area for morning coffees, meals, and after dinner drinks with friends.
The alcoves for shelves and the kitchen benchtop become a way to give depth to shadows as they wrap around a flower arrangement or book.
A more surgical intervention was made to widen the entry hallway to accommodate an art wall and mitigate the ‘dance’ guests have to perform as they enter.
Project Details
Project size – 114 m2
Completion date – 2020
Project Team
Architecture
WHDA
WHDA are a design and architecture practice in Melbourne led by Redmond Hamlett and Douglas Wan.
Their primary focus is on community and residential architecture.
They seek to play our part of the enduring project of contextual modernism; to harness rationalist design rigour in entwining disparate scales of individual and collective needs.
WHDA design for meaningful spaces of contemplation and comfort, the public agenda, and a culture of social exchange.
Construction
Jarah Construction
Established 2009 and based in Melbourne, Victoria, Jarah Construction is a brand synonymous with quality and integrity. Their highly skilled tradesman and experienced project managers drive their passion for innovation, commitment and transparency.
Photography
Daniel Walker
Daniel is a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia, specialising in architecture, interior, and lifestyle photography.
His photographs explore the built and natural forms around us, extracting light and detail in the path of expressing my experiences.
Stylist
Chooi Si Chok
Photo Gallery
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Design © 2020 WHDA. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Daniel Walker. All Rights Reserved
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