In plain sight: FGR Architects’ contemporary Melbourne marvel
A modest 1930s facade in Melbourne's inner city suburb Northcote conceals a breathtaking contemporary design.
Past the front door, only a couple of the original front rooms remain; one used for a study, the other a guest bedroom. 'The house fits in with the period streetscape. You’re not really aware of what’s going on behind the timber facade,' says architect Feras Raffoul, director of FGR Architects. 'Our clients had become attached to the period home, even though it had its shortcomings,' he adds.
FGR Architects virtually created an entirely new house behind the period facade. The contemporary ‘addition’ includes generous glazing at both the ground and first floors to take advantage of the garden aspect and generous light. Pivotal to the design is a lap pool and the double height canopy that soars to 6.5 m in height. Complete with an open fireplace, this innovative white concrete wall not only creates shelter, but also doubles as a projection screen (a video unit is concealed in the overhang outside the kitchen). 'Having the generous canopy also allows you to borrow views into a neighbouring garden,' says Raffoul, who was conscious of wanting to create a sense of space within the 500 sq m site.
While the house is predominantly rectilinear in form, the liquid-like staircase at the front of the house separate the past from the present. 'The staircase softens the geometric lines as well providing an unexpected moment when you first enter the home,' says Raffoul.
Raffoul used the swimming pool as a means to delineate spaces at ground level. On one side of the swimming pool is the lounge, while on the other is the open plan kitchen and dining area. However, wherever one stands, there are unimpeded sight lines to the garden and swimming pool. In fact, there are few homes designed by FGR Architects that don’t feature a swimming pool. 'I love the way water animates an interior, with sunlight reflecting on the ceilings,' says Raffoul.
The first floor also features generous floor-to-ceiling glazing. Featuring a main bedroom, walk-in dressing area and lavish ensuite bathroom that takes advantage of the leafy neighbourhood, there’s a sense of residing in a five-star hotel. And while the owners don’t presently have children, when they do eventually arrive, there’s more than sufficient bedrooms for them to chose from, each one enjoying the same quality light and outlook as the couple presently does.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the FGR Architects website
Photography: Peter Bennetts
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Stephen Crafti started writing on Architecture & Design in the early 1990s after purchasing a modernist 1950s house designed by Neil Montgomery. Fast forward several decades, Crafti is still as passionate and excited about seeing and writing on contemporary architecture and design, having published 50 books to date as well as writing for leading newspapers and magazines.
-
Bringing BRAT to life: we meet the designers behind Charli XCX's victory-lap tour
An exclusive interview with Cour Design's Jonny Kingsbury, the stage and lighting designer behind Charli XCX's new BRAT tour
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Apple’s new Mac mini is a pocket-sized powerhouse thanks to the M4 processor
With the new Mac mini, Apple has squeezed its M4 and M4 Pro processors into the smallest conceivable footprint, physically and environmentally. Apple insiders tell us how
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
One to Watch: EJM Studio’s stool is inspired by the humble church pew
EJM Studio’s ‘Pew’ stool reimagines the traditional British church seating with a modern, eco-conscious twist
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
A monolithic house in rural Victoria celebrates 50 shades of grey
Adam Kane Architects’ monolithic house in rural Victoria, Grey House, is ‘a testament to the power of simplicity and harmony’
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Is Rochester Street Office a creative worker’s dream? Inside a Sydney workspace echoing calmness and light
Rochester Street Office by Allied_Office merges utilitarian design with cascading vegetation, presenting a thriving environment for creativity and collaboration
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A Melbourne family home draws on classic modernism to create a pavilion in the landscape
This Melbourne family home by Vibe Design Group was inspired by midcentury design and shaped to be an extension of its verdant site
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Tour Clifton House, an airy Bondi family home, brimming with natural light and foliage
Clifton House by Anthony Gill Architects is a North Bondi home using an abundance of vegetation to create a slice of privacy within the suburbs
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Tour this compact Melbourne home, where a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentation
Northcote House is designed by architects David Leggett and Paul Loh as their own home in Melbourne
By Stephen Crafti Published
-
Bridging Boyd is the rebirth of a modernist Melbourne home
Bridging Boyd by Jolson is a modernist Melbourne home reimagined for the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Sydney house is a family's stylish seaside sanctuary
This Sydney house is a young family's suburban dream come true thanks to Alexandra Kidd Interior Design and Rich Carr Architects
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published