Historic rebuild in Melbourne by Robson Rak

In Melbourne, Robson Rak have combined two historic buildings with a new construction. The idea: while the individual exteriors of the distinctive buildings are emphasized, the interiors are stylistically combined as a white cube.

Albert Park is a district of Melbourne south of the city center. Here is one of the largest recreational areas of the metropolis of millions and the beach is also not far. The residence, designed by local architecture and design firm Robson Rak, is located on a tree-lined street on a 301-square-meter lot. It is a historic, so-called Weatherboard Cottage with a load-bearing structure made of wood, cladding of wooden shingles and a porch with decorative round arches, which makes for a very charming ensemble. The existing building also includes a former barn clad in red brick.

Play of contrasts
To combine the two existing buildings, architects Kathryn Robson and Chris Rak placed a new cubic building with large window openings and light-colored clinker bricks in between - with a total living space of 470 square meters, housed on three floors. "The challenge of this project was to create a coherent design language on the interior, while the exterior of the three buildings has distinct forms and styles," say the designers.

To spatially connect the cottage with the former barn and accommodate all the functions of a home, the spaces had to be opened up and extensive structural changes made. While many historical elements were preserved on the outside, the house has a bright and very contemporary look on the inside. The materials used are of high quality: natural stone floors and light wood for the fixtures. Since the residents travel a lot for work, they wanted a house that would be durable, easy to maintain and, most importantly, provide enough space to display their art collection. Now, large-scale photographs, paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists such as Sandor Matos, Terri Brooks and Cherry Hood hang and stand throughout the house.

Minimalist luxury
Despite the three stylistically very different buildings, the interior looks like a single entity. This is mainly due to the restrained, neutral color palette of white tones and the straight-lined furniture fixtures - including cabinets, (book) shelves and kitchen unit -, the austere staircase and the geometric sanitary objects made of natural stone. The house is sparsely furnished - with carefully injected splashes of color and distinctly tactile surfaces that make for coziness. For example, two armchairs in pink (Glove up, Molteni) and a sofa in dark blue (Gentry Light, Moroso) wrap around a fireplace by Oblica in the living-library area. A white floor lamp by Serge Mouille provides good light, while the side table (Panna Cotta, Molteni) looks very delicate.

Kitchen to the patio
The highlight of the house is a spacious patio, around which the spacious living room and kitchen are formed. The latter is divided into three parts: In geometric arrangement, floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets, a massive kitchen block, and dining table and chairs are staggered one behind the other. This classic kitchen layout is emphasized by the rigor of the shapes and details. The doors on the cabinets and kitchen block are kept handleless, the island comes elegantly in white marble - a material that is found again in the custom-made , oval table with bronze frame by Barbera Design. Here are chairs upholstered in leather (Cab, Cassina) and a custom bench made of natural stone with cushions. A graphically designed pendant lamp (Acrobat, Porcelain Bear) completes the reduced, almost cool ensemble. The upper floors, with their private bedrooms and bathrooms, are also luxurious yet understated, with furniture and lighting from manufacturers such as Verzelloni, Ligne Roset, Flos, Louis Poulsen and Michael Anastassiades.

First impressions are deceiving: while you enter the Albert Park home via the rather modest, glistening white Weatherboard Cottage with its playful wood trim, behind it hides a luxurious interior with a wow effect. A white cube with a lavish amount of space, art and designer furniture.

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