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Melbourne’s single-fronted Victorian terraces — with their cast iron fences, tiled porches and iconic concrete parapets — have an undeniable charm.
Ceci Thompson and Aydin Keyvanloo, co-founders of Measured and VUUE, are all too familiar, having been drawn to the charm of a relatively untouched 1889 Victorian in Fitzroy in 2021.
At the time it didn’t have an indoor toilet, but the north-facing windows, character and location just one block back from the vibrant Edinburgh Gardens were enough to seal the deal.
A considered renovation ensued, with Ceci and Aydin leading the design.
‘It was the charm of the consistent architecture that drew us to this neighbourhood,’ explains Ceci. ‘We wanted to maintain that heritage charm [in the renovation] and didn’t want to chop-away at the original building to build bigger.’
They restored the original part of the home from ‘top to bottom and inside out’ and added a contemporary single-story extension.
A soothing colour and material palette of neutral colours connects the two, with the new addition featuring a sweeping curved brick wall and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that lead out into a paved courtyard.
During the day the light-filled extension feels open and airy, and at night, soft lighting catches the texture of the brick to create an intimate and cosy atmosphere.
Due to the favourable proximity of Edinburgh Gardens just around the corner, Ceci and Aydin chose to forgo lawn in the backyard for a crazy-paved patio with a planted garden, which has proved to be the perfect spot to enjoy breakfast in the morning sun.
‘As much as we have loved living in the house, the area and the community, our ideas about what our family needs have evolved over the four years that we have owned it,’ says Ceci. ‘It was with our boy’s education in mind that we decided it is time to move on.
‘Time for the next chapter’.
106 Rae Street, Fitzroy North is listed for sale with Mark Verrocchi from Nelson Alexander.
