When Melanie Beynon  and her team were brought in to update this once-tired brick house in Toorak, it was clear they would have to tread carefully to create a sensitive modern update for their client’s childhood home.

The first port of call was opening the closed floorplan, ensuring natural light would penetrate through the home, and to allow a sense of connectedness between communal spaces. Working within the original footprint, Melanie completely overhauled the layout to create an open-plan space. A dining and living areas surround a central kitchen at the heart of the home, flanked by stately glazing to capitalise on the garden outlook.

A fine balance was struck between rejuvenating the dwelling for a new generation, and retaining the memory-filled character of the original home. The key lay in the material expression. 

‘The discovery of the original Tasmanian Oak flooring inspired the continuity in key timber elements throughout the design,’ explains Melanie, highlighting the timber-framed window openings and the statement panelled joinery throughout the kitchen. This hand-crafted element lent an artisanal touch to the interior detailing that interpreted the client’s wish for a robust and tactile material palette while still referencing the original home’s mid-century aesthetic.

The wash areas represent a complete departure from both the heritage-inspired palette and the clean, modern design supporting the rest of the home. Boldly patterned tiles in rich shades of pink, magenta and blue adorn the bathroom walls, providing an unexpected flourish of colour in an otherwise tonally understated home. ‘The bathrooms were inspired by the clients love of colour and pattern – rich blues in the master bathroom tiles and multicoloured terrazzo tiles in the main,’ says Melanie of the dramatic shift.

This precisely executed home is a masterclass in gesturing to the past while stepping firmly into the future. 

Is this totally tickling your fancy? See more projects from Melanie Beynon here.