Interior design practice Studio Amble channel elegance and intimacy in their overhaul of a Melbourne heritage apartment.
Tucked away off a busy thoroughfare in Prahran, Melbourne Studio Amble have stripped a compact two-bedroom apartment down to its fundamental core while paying respect to the heritage building’s European influence. Redesigning the apartment from the ground up through considered spatial replanning, a bold monochrome colour palette and rich, natural materials, Studio Amble have paved the way for a refined pied-à-terre for an eclectic, design-inclined couple.
The kitchen features a Smeg Dolce Stil Novo cooktop and oven, integrated Liebherr refrigerator and Diiva Swivel stools by Grazia&Co.
Winter Forest stone by Signorino
Studio Amble principal Charlotte Dethick says a key component of the brief was to evoke feelings of comfort and elegance in the home, achieved through crafted moments and tactile materials that follow you throughout each room. “A feeling of generous living was also paramount,” Charlotte says. “Decisive planning, clever storage, and thoughtful material placement were used as illusory devices to create the feeling of extended space.”
Studio Amble removed all partitioned walls, making way for an open-plan one bedroom apartment with ensuite and walk-in-robe. Flamed oak chevron floors are paired with white walls and streamlined skirting boards and architraves. “We wanted to bring a sense of innate luxury into the home without any fuss,” Charlotte says.
A Parisian and Mid-Century influence converge in the living room, featuring the Pierre Paulin Groovy Chair and Knoll Saarinen Side Table.
Materials were selected for their robustness and for how they would patina with time. “There’s an emphasis on materiality that endures well under the rituals of day-to-day living,” she says.
The kitchen lies at the centre of the apartment, with integrated appliances concealed within the dark ebony joinery to minimise design disruption. A monolithic island bench carved from Signorino’s Winter Forest marble makes a refined statement in the kitchen, contrasting the raw nature of the limestone plinth in the adjacent living space.
The Prahran Apartment redesign confidently responds to the European heritage of the building through bespoke details and layered materiality. “The continuity of design language allows the home to feel cohesive but special, even in the most unexpected moments,” Charlotte adds.
Surface Gallery White Zellige Tiles and the Loom Towels Ecru Bath Mat in the ensuite.
The monochrome colour palette carries into the bedroom and ensuite, framed by custom black stained rattan wardrobe doors and illuminated by the Delta Light Spy Clip Light.
