Generosity where it counts makes a 50m2 apartment the perfect city getaway.
Tsai Design’s client had purchased a ground floor one-bedroom apartment in the Grand Hotel in Melbourne’s CBD.
It was poky and dark.
But it had great bones and a charming garden outlook.
As the former headquarters of the Victorian Railways, the Hotel had a proud civic façade and a graceful central staircase.
Tsai Design set out to create a spare but generous and welcoming home for our client, celebrating the 1880s splendour of the building.
First, they removed the half height partitioning walls to open the volume into an open plan kitchen and living-dining room.
This ample new space allowed for flexible furniture configuration and garden views from their award-winning Drop Leaf Table, custom designed for this apartment.
The fold-up dining table for two expands to six for entertaining when required.
With countless eateries on the doorstep, Tsai Design’s client wanted a kitchenette instead of a traditional kitchen.
This meant they could provide ample storage, concealing appliances, and a full height pantry in the entryway keeping the home clutter free.
Timber floors wrap up in a high kicker to warm the whites of the home; a cute concealed drawer houses the cat litter.
The elegant continuous kitchen benchtop of over 8m conceals plumbing and curves into the hidden bathroom to form the vanity and toilet.
Tsai Design’s scheme called for a re-tiling of the bathroom, replacement of the bath with a roomy shower, expanded laundry facilities, and the introduction of gold tap and shower wear as a nod to the Hotel’s Gold Rush past.
This narrow, windowless kitchen became the bedroom.
Working with the tight confines of this room, at just 2.6 metres wide, Tsai Design replaced the bulky ceiling with an elegant timber vaulted ceiling embracing the existing arch of the doorway.
A pull-down queen size Murphy bed with a full height mirror borrows light and views to create an expansive walk in robe.
The main wardrobe is accessible with the bed open or tucked away, giving Tsai Design’s client complete flexibility.
Customisable shelving alcoves either side of the bed head provide perfect access for book and bedding storage and reading lights, and a sense of spaciousness in what could have been a too-tight environment.
Spatial intimacy and personalisation opportunities like this are the thoughtful touches that make a house of any size a home.
Project Details
Completion date – 2020
Project Team
Architecture
Tsai Design
Dimly-lit terraces. Busy shops with under-utilised first floor residences. Family homes that do little to support a life with kids. Tsai Design challenges these buildings to step up: to work harder; to make better use of the spaces they occupy, and to contribute more meaningfully to their neighbourhoods.
Construction
Q Spaces
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Photography
Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly is a commercial photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. She specialises in architecture, interiors and still life photography.
Photo Gallery
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Design © 2020 tsai Design. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Tess Kelly. All Rights Reserved.
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