The Pavilion House in Brighton, Melbourne began life in 1888 as a grand Victorian residence. The current owners of this impressive property approached architects Robson Rak to transform the house into a more welcoming and expansive home for their young family. The brief was to restore the original home, and add a new wing, that drew upon the client’s love of LA modernist architecture.
The architects explain their intention was to create a home that would ‘connect the house to the surrounding external environment, and be the perfect backdrop for a modern family who entertain large numbers of friends and family.’
The large site allowed the architects to stretch the potential of the project, and ‘push the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living.’ The new pavilion addition sits confidently, adjacent to the historic home, but is connected through a central courtyard. Meanwhile, the stunning landscaping by Mud Office creates a connection between the old and new, and softens the clean architectural lines with lush greenery.
The home’s original design features, including grand marble fireplaces, ornate cornices, arches and high ceilings have been retained. These Victorian-era flourishes are enhanced and modernised with contemporary details, like rose gold bathroom fixtures, herringbone tiling, and contemporary Australian artwork.
The architects explain ‘we aimed to blur the line between inside and out, old and new, and in doing so create an interesting dialogue between these themes.’ Old meets new, and Brighton meets Los Angeles!
