This fine Armadale house, in the inner-city Melbourne suburb, represents the perfect balance between interiors and architecture, minimalism and subtle glamour. The house was created as a collaboration between two acclaimed Australian design studios: Conrad Architects, which is behind the overall architecture; and Mim Design, which masterminded the interior. The result is Armadale Residence, a family home crafted with streamlined poise and timeless, quality materials.
‘The project is driven by a shared reverence for timeless design, tactile materials and quality, addressing the client’s brief for an elegant and comfortable home of generous proportions, befitting its prestigious location,’ explain the team.
The architects responded to the brief by composing a design that draws on grand, classical proportions and plays with open and opaque surfaces that lend an elegant rhythm to the façades. The frontage’s colonnade is a key example, made of limestone and offering not only a visually powerful grid that accentuates verticality and defines the house's overall look, but also cleverly creates space for a series of details, such as bronze French doors, balustrades, planter boxes, and louvred screens.
Inside, a prevailing sense of calm and pared-down luxury dominates. The designers worked with clean lines and surfaces, softened by fabrics (such as the ethereal curtains throughout) and key features (such as the sculputral, curved staircase) to manage open-plan areas, with zones defined by graphic elements, such as partitions and joinery.
‘The residence is defined by a linear circulation spine directly linking the front and rear and affording separation between public and private zones. The open kitchen, living and dining areas unfurl as light-filled and luxurious spaces for living, presenting framed views to a manicured garden,’ say the interiors team. Chevron timber flooring, polished plaster walls, cloudy Versilia marble, rich timber joinery and gunmetal tapware make up the material palette inside. The outdoor space and planting was conceived by Paul Bangay Garden Design.
The carefully woven together and perfectly orchestrated architecture and interiors in Armadale Residence by Conrad Architecture and Mim Design ensure the home feels majestic and refined, but at the same time is warm and comfortable, fit for everyday family life.
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