An Edwardian home in Melbourne’s southeast has been restored with openness and indoor-outdoor connectivity front of mind. Inglis Architects have sought to celebrate the building’s heritage features while thoughtfully introducing contemporary features within a rear extension. The result gracefully unites the two eras to create an inviting, light-filled family home.
The kitchen features an Anna Charlesworth sconce and a painting by Dylan Jones, while the dining space features a custom dining table and a sculpture by Greg Penn.
A sense of connection, both socially and with the outdoors, was central to the brief for RE Residence. Supporting these desires, the north-facing rear extension, which contains the kitchen, dining and living areas, is marked by full-height steel-framed windows, each one designed to pivot 90 degrees. “These act as a series of doors that completely open up the house and connect you to the garden while also providing a beautiful sequence between indoor and outdoor living,” Inglis Architects founding director Charlie Inglis says. Viewed from the terrace, the robust rear facade is the result of considered, pared-back material selections, including off-form concrete and hand-made Spanish bricks.
A sense of connection to the outdoors is achieved through full-height steel-framed windows, each one designed to pivot 90 degrees.
The living space features the GUBI Pacha lounge chair and Living Divani Extrasoft sofa.
The space also features the Oluce Atollo 235 lamp.
In addition to promoting connectivity, the windows allow light to pour into the spaces, signifying another key component of the brief; “We worked with the light on both a physical and conceptual level,” Charlie reveals. On a physical level, materials like terrazzo and timber flooring were chosen for their warmth and subtle reactions to natural light. On a conceptual level, Inglis Architects used light to mark the transition between the old and the new symbolically; a skylight crowns the threshold between the heritage part of the home and the contemporary extension, producing what Charlie calls “a moment to breathe”.
The original formal sitting room, which Inglis Architects maintained and enhanced, features the Snelling Y chandelier, Flos Captain Flint floor lamp, Molteni & C Panna Cotta side table, Arflex Strips sofa, B&B Italia Le Bambole ’07 armchair and Poliform Tribeca coffee table. Artwork by Daniel Anderson.
The primary bedroom features the Davide Groppi Moon pendant, Massproductions Crown lounge chair, &Tradition JH9 Palette desk and Bemboka bedlinen.
The bathrooms feature Articolo Domi wall sconces.
The powder room features the Workstead Signal pendant.
In the heritage part of the home, Inglis Architects have sought to maintain and enhance some of the existing features, such as the formal sitting room, while mindfully removing others that no longer suited this next chapter. Careful attention was given to the home’s street-facing facade, with the original red bricks and timber fretwork being restored as a clear link to the Federation era.
The entryway features heritage details such as stained-glass windows, as well as the Snelling Line pendant, Foscarini Buds 2 table lamp and Grazia & Co Stamp console. Artwork by Rachel Mackay.
The rear facade is characterised by off-form concrete and hand-made Spanish bricks. Pictured are a pair of Ferm Living Desert chairs.
