Mid-Century Revival House

Detail 9 Architects worked closely with their clients to realize a vision to update a mid-century modern home in Melbourne, Australia.

  • area / size 5,102 sqft
  • Year 2019
  • Location Melbourne, Australia,
  • Type House,
  • Collaboration is key to any successful outcome, so taking on this project was a great opportunity to partner with Secret Design Studio, Balwyn Builders and our fantastic clients.

    A wonderful partnership has developed with our clients, who have a had a strong and clear of vision of mid-century modern design. Our clients were keen to upgrade their dated mid-century home to reflect modern family life, whilst retaining the character of the architecture.

    The site provided quite the challenge, it has beautiful sweeping views across the outer east of Melbourne, however it is very steep. The house also had several entry points, however no real sense of a focal point ‘front door’. One of the key goals was to improve access from the driveway to a formal front entry. More living space for growing children and guest accommodation for overseas visitors were also on the wish list.

    Our clients are expat-Canadians, who have made Australia their home. They were passionate about the mid-century style of their home and became experts in mid-century modern renovating and furnishing. We developed a lovely relationship with our clients, their hands-on involvement and keen eye for detail were a real asset to the project.

    The brief was to create an accessible entry to the home, improve the livability for a growing family, including guest accommodation. Improve and expand the outdoor entertaining space and connectivity to pool. The key challenges were the fact the property is located on a very steep sloping block of land, therefore careful consideration of building height, materials, accessibility and livability for clients were key considerations.

    Design: Detail 9 Architects
    Photography: Matthew Forbes