A stunning renovation of a house in Balgowlah Height

Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

The bathroom brief for this project was simple - the ensuite was to be 'His Bathroom' with masculine finishes whilst the family bathroom was to become 'Her Bathroom' with a soft luxury feel.

New bathroom with freestanding bath, large window and timber privacy screen

Reconfiguration of the original bathroom creates a private ensuite for the master bedroom.

Main bedroom en suite

Art Deco bathroom, featuring original 1930s cream textured tiles with green accent tile line and bath (resurfaced). Vanity designed by Hindley & Co with curved Corian top and siding, handcrafted by JFJ Joinery. The matching curved mirrored medicine cabinet is designed by Hindley & Co. The project is a 1930s art deco Spanish mission-style house in Melbourne. See more from our Arch Deco Project.

Camden Grace LLC

This penthouse apartment has glorious 270-degree views, and when we engaged to complete the extensive renovation, we knew that this apartment would be a visual masterpiece once finished. So we took inspiration from the colours featuring in many of their art pieces, which we bought into the kitchen colour, soft furnishings and wallpaper. We kept the bathrooms a more muted palette using a pale green on the cabinetry. The MC Lozza dining table, custom-designed wall units and make-up area added uniqueness to this space.

Full Height Tiling Grey Bathroom Walk In Shower Grey Bathroom Walls Frameless Shower Screen Wood Grain Vanity Ceramic Top Mixer Tap

Tony Soluri

The soft green opalescent tile in the shower and on the floor creates a subtle tactile geometry, in harmony with the matte white paint used on the wall and ceiling; semi gloss is used on the trim for additional subtle contrast. The sink has clean simple lines while providing much-needed accessible storage space. A clear frameless shower enclosure allows unobstructed views of the space.