South Yarra Townhouse

Working hard behind the scenes to optimise functionality and efficiency, the South Yarra townhouse defies its small footprint to appear as an open, light-filled and luxurious retreat for a family of four.

To transform the 1920s French Normandy style townhouse with its compartmentalised spaces into a contemporary family home, we needed to perform complex structural interventions to remove walls. The result is an open, airy residence with conventional partitioning eschewed for steel-framed sliding doors that delineate areas of activity and provide acoustic separation while drawing in maximum natural light.

Taking cues from London living, the footprint is maximised at every opportunity. A batten wall with panelled doors and carved-out joinery conceals utilitarian but critical spaces, like a powder room beneath the stairs and a compact laundry integrated alongside the kitchen.

Generous ceiling heights give the home a sense of spaciousness that belies its compact size. Floor-to-ceiling operable windows at the rear flow into the courtyard, where the matching surfaces make it an outdoor extension of the kitchen and dining spaces.

A strategic use of space and premium finishes and materials upstairs allow for three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Views of the surrounding tree canopies lend serenity to the hotel-like master bedroom.

The monochromatic palette unifies the entire home – indoors and out – with white tones in the kitchen contrasting with the black-coated steel window and door frames. The ebonised cladding and painted white brick exteriors complete the picture of a home in which every detail has been carefully considered.