A Material Palette "Choreographed" Around the Sun's Movement Brought This Heritage Queen Anne-Style Home in Melbourne Into the Modern Day
"Stately grandeur and intimate comfort" meet in this heritage Melbourne home that feels like it's always been there
Calming and stimulating, grounded and surprising, intentional and alive. Transformed and weightless, skirting heritage integrity without demolition. Creating a home that straddles two opposite worlds takes an expert in the field with an eye for potential. And, luckily for the owners of this two-storey Queen Anne Dame, that expert was found in the form of interior designer David Flack.
Reigning high atop a hill of the Domain precinct in Melbourne’s South Yarra, for all its shine and grandness, the home had become increasingly dimmed by a closed-off, impractical layout.
In addition, it was rendered "nearly subterranean", enveloped in near-darkness by various apartment developments. “Northern and western boundaries were overlooked, whilst the protected façade prevented significant alterations,” says David Flack, founder and principal of Melbourne-based Flack Studio.
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French oak timber floors, wall panelling, and classic balustrade details welcome the owners of this heritage beauty home.
Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Flack Studio. Styling: Joseph Gardner.
Understanding the historical, cultural, and spatial interplay of materials is David Flack's specialty. "That curiosity for how elements interact — texture, color, patina, light — drove everything here," he says.
Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Flack Studio. Styling: Joseph Gardner.
While enamoured with their heritage 1930s stone-encased beauty, after eight years of living there, the owners yearned for lighter, more lively spaces. "They sought spaces that felt weightless and properly scaled for modern living," explains David.
A challenge, no doubt, but one that was met with keen innovation. Today, a new addition unfolds at the property's rear, but perhaps not in the way you would expect.
Indeed, the home's reimagining does the opposite of what most aim for: It pulls back rather than pushes toward the boundaries. Flack Studio's takeover minimized the footprint and maximized light, shedding the constraints of "impractical" formal rooms and heritage lock-ins while doing so.
The heritage section of the home embraces its original proportions, and the use of bold colors throughout was inspired by French modernism.
Rising up to meet the light, translucent glass brick walls, inspired by Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre, resolve privacy, improve thermal performance, and add atmospheric presence in one deft hit.
"Our ethos centers on materials singing and dancing together," explains David, who describes how strategic openings "choreographed" the sun's movement.
"Each choice is intentional, research-based," he adds. "Understanding not just what works visually but why it works; how materials relate historically, culturally, spatially."
A dramatic Breccia Capraia marble backsplash takes demands attention in the kitchen, while speckled terrazzo floors and sage green continue the home's "established language".
Back at the front-of-house, so to speak, Flack Studio safeguarded the home's character, effectively "nesting" a new home within the existing whilst providing a canvas on which to display the owners' extensive and impressive art collection.
Deliberate use of saturated color has been applied throughout these spaces to mark transitions and spatial shifts, while a repetition of elements and an established design language form a continuous thread that runs throughout.
"The cocktail room enveloped in deep, high-gloss red saturates with intensity and drama," describes David. "Across the hall, the library fills with warm almond tones carrying memories and heirlooms. Natural stone, solid timber, patinated metals with expressed detailing link old and new."
High-gloss Venetian plaster in Porter's Paints finish 'London Stone' provides a dramatic backdrop for one of the owners' artworks.
As a complete architectural project already recognized with Victorian AIA shortlisting and commendations, Domain, as it was dubbed by the design team, marks Flack Studio's foray into full-service architectural projects.
The result is a home that feels uniquely cohesive, that is both timeless and contemporary, like it's been there all along. "It's a forever home," says David.
