Cerise Residence, Cardigan Street Property, Melbourne House Design Photos, Architect

Cerise Residence : Melbourne Property

Residential Development in Victoria design by fmd architects, Australia

6 Apr 2010

Location: Cardigan Street, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Design: Fiona Dunin at fmd architects

Contemporary Melbourne Property

Brief, site context and constraints

Photos by Peter Bennetts

Cerise Residence in Melbourne

The site is a small 6m wide block in the inner city of Melbourne. 1 in a row of Heritage runs along the street.

The brief was to renovate the existing kitchen and bathrooms and improve access to natural light in the main living areas and integrate various ESD principles into the overall design. An additional bathroom a diversity of living and study spaces to be incorporated into the existing envelope.

The budget was very limited, reinforcing the need to maintain as much of the existing structure and materials as possible.

The existing building consisted of a series of ad hoc renovations at the east end of the house. Access to natural light was limited due to the existing roofs and eaves sloping downward to the north and east, hence causing a very dark interior kitchen and living space. Existing spaces were to remain flexible as either Living spaces or bedrooms as dynamics of the family changes as the children grow and needs vary.

Methodology and Resolution

Retaining the existing building footprint was a key consideration for both economical and philosophical reasons. Building expansion was not an essential requirement, and outdoor areas were already limited.

New elements were layered over the existing structure, deferring to the building’s history while expressing its new residents needs through their distinct formal expression. While colour was embraced in the design approach, its relationship to the client’s artwork was an important consideration.

The walls were left white, while the floor became a multicoloured canvas in its own right. A tapestry of colour was developed, weaving interconnecting and adjacent spaces. Intersecting joinery wand walls were also affected and saturated in the floor colour, extending the tapestry into 3 dimensions. Mirrored ceilings in the stairwell convert the spatial framework into a kaleidoscopic labyrinth up to the new attic.

The design of the period residence orientates the spaces inward and upward into the kaleidoscope, while the eastern lean-to is reworked to stretch itself toward the light. The resulting renovation offers a dynamic array of spaces for the family to suit their varying needs, while paying homage to its heritage.