treatment, this early 1960s orange brick apartment in Toorak was approached like a bespoke home. Originally designed by architect Les Perrott, the 130-square-metre apartment is oriented to the north, like most in the building, and was the perfect abode for a couple looking to downsize. The owners called on Broderick Ely, director of B.E Architecture, to create something I was already engaged in making modifications to this 1960s classic, tweaking communal areas and reworking some of the rather prosaic colour schemes. So I was quite familiar with this building when first approached by my clients, who were looking for a level of craftsmanship and detail not often found today. Many structural elements such as the walls and ceilings weren’t 100 per cent level, and the original finishes had become quite tired. The owners were fortunate to inherit these wonderful north-facing views, but even the picture windows required attention. While the apartment is generous in floor area, we had an opportunity to create more fluid and interconnected spaces. For example, we used glass doors rather than solid ones between some rooms and, importantly, we transformed what was once a three-bedroom apartment into two, the second being used as a study or guestroom. That meant gutting the apartment and removing everything. It’s a ‘grown-up’ space. There haven’t been any compromises, whether it’s to the spaces or what’s been added, such as the new timber credenza with its beautiful felt-lined drawers in the dining area, the silken woollen grass-green carpets in the bedrooms and the generous-sized terrazzo tiles in the kitchen, dining and living areas. Everything is bespoke, including the seagrass wallpaper that was sourced from overseas. I love the brass detailing, whether it’s used for the skirting boards or on the edges of the customised furniture that we designed. There’s something quite pleasurable in seeing brass show patina over time, repolishing it once a year to bring back the original shine, then watching the ageing process start again. We used a number of floor and table lamps to add a gentle glow to the edge of each space, making them blur or dissolve into the next room. Using a limited palette of materials, whether terrazzo for the floors or the seagrass wallpaper, also creates a sense of continuity in this apartment. The clients already owned a four-metre-long Edra sofa so we needed to accommodate these proportions in the living area. The two Gio Ponti armchairs also speak to the apartment’s era, but we’re not slavish to any period. Here, you’ll find everything from the 19th century through to today, whether it’s this small Biedermeier table (between the Gio Ponti chairs) or the Saarinen ‘Tulip’ table. Our clients love living here. It’s the ability to lock up and leave, but equally the pleasure of coming home rather than simply ‘camping’. They love being able to open windows (not always a feature of apartments) and appreciate the creature comforts. It’s been tailor-made for them. We increased the main bedroom’s size to include a baby grand piano.
