Limber living: Connect Six

Whiting Architects’ alteration and addition to an Edwardian dwelling in Melbourne’s Brighton is a compelling study in spatial planning and materiality. The homeowners, Ben and Lucinda, wanted their new kitchen to be the heart of the home and a place where their four young children could easily come and go. “It needed to be workable in this respect and highly functional, while offering an element of concealment and look neat when guests come over,” says Josie Somerville, associate director at Whiting Architects. “But it was also about creating flexible spaces that are practical today and will be just as practical in twenty years’ time when the kids have left home.”

A butler’s pantry is tucked behind the kitchen, while everything else is in close proximity to the island bench, the social hub of the home. It’s positioned adjacent to the step-down from the lounge, a split level that allows the kitchen to maintain an element of self-containment yet connect freely with the other living spaces. The step also creates a cosy nook – the sunken threshold between front and back – that’s reinforced by the kitchen’s lowered ceiling, an unexpected feature that is as visually satisfying as it is functional.

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The sunken kitchen’s lowered ceiling adds to the space’s cosiness.

Image: Shannon McGrath

The Whiting Architects team wanted to vary the ceiling heights to introduce intimate spaces into the scheme. The kitchen’s lowered ceiling height also meant the architects were able to insert a playroom and study into the existing space directly above it. An exposed “mezzanine stair,” leading from these two rooms to the boys’ bedrooms and the central bathroom, adds to the spatial gymnastics, while the glass panelling and balustrade encourage visual connection between the upper and lower levels.

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An exposed “mezzanine stair” adds to the spatial gymnastics.

Image: Shannon McGrath

The main bathroom is upstairs, but the most hardworking wet room is undoubtedly the one on the ground level, where it serves family members returning inside from the pool and also doubles as a powder room for guests. The architects have used tactile materials to add a sense of warmth and depth to the small space. The materials are not only hardy, they are also incredibly beautiful, including the hand-trowelled concrete that has been applied to the wet room’s walls and the Oregon roof beams that were salvaged from the original structure and have been used for the vanity’s benchtop. A custom mirror is suspended in front of the window, its leather straps adding yet another textural detail. “We don’t follow trends because we want our projects to still look current in ten years’ time,” notes Josie. “So we keep things minimal and have found that texture rather than colour helps to achieve a sense of timelessness.”