Apartment 403

Shelley Roberts Architects designed the more functional layout for Apartment 403, a space that balances intimacy while retaining the original characteristics of the building in Melbourne.

  • area / size 2,476 sqft
  • Year 2016
  • Location Melbourne, Australia,
  • Type Apartment,
  • Originally a fabric warehouse built in the 1920’s, this entire apartment renovation in Sargood House, presented the rather unusual problem of having too much space in the living room.

    The owners wanted a more functional layout for their home that also retained the openness that originally drew them to the property. Also, on their wish list was a dream closet, a private and very personal space that would become the centre-point for the entire apartment. Assigning a purpose and function to every room created the intimacy that the space had for so long lacked. It was also important to retain the buildings original warehouse feel, ceilings were stripped back and left completely exposed, while elsewhere sleek finishes and minimal fixtures balanced the overall aesthetic.

    The key material was Decton, a very hard but incredibly thin porcelain tile was used to clad a 90mm steel beam which formed the structure of the three-meter-long cantilever of the benchtop. Vola Tapware and Roger seller supplied all sanitary, bath-ware and tapware fittings.

    The main challenge was providing all the heating and cooling underneath the raised floor was challenging along with reducing the number of stairs to all wet areas to achieve a better flow of rooms. ​​

    The projects’ success was creating the intimacy and definition to space while retaining the buildings’ original warehouse feel.

    Design: Shelley Roberts Architects
    Photography: Nicole England