Set in Stone – Grange Road Residence by Conrad Architects and Lauren Tarrant Design

Inspired by European design, Grange Road Residence balances an intricate choreography of proportion, texture and light. Conrad Architects and Lauren Tarrant Design draw upon natural colours of the marble featured heavily throughout the family home, grounding the contemporary interior with a powerful sense of purpose.

Located in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, Grange Road Residence celebrates grandeur in its volume and form, capitalising on its generous neighbourhood views. Originally a 40-year-old duplex, the family home now stands with a stone façade, projecting an unwavering character of strength, clarity and warmth. There is an undeniable sense of rhythm felt whilst moving through the house. The considered interior layout, coupled with the natural colour palette, leads the eye inwards and then outwards, past the infinity edge swimming pool and towards the city views.

“I like to design homes based on how I like to live my life,” says homeowner and designer Lauren Tarrant, Founder of Lauren Tarrant Design. “Not only is this home great for entertaining, and it’s really special to have people over, it is also wonderful for my family and I.” The home’s reverse floorplan sees the bedrooms located on the ground floor to better connect with the surrounding greenery, instilling an overall calmness and self-awareness. The home also has a two storey fall across the site, allowing for four levels in total. This gave Conrad Architects the opportunity to use the staircase as a main feature, which also functions as a lightwell, drawing natural light from the skylight above across all four levels.

Light is an integral, playful component of the interior, adding contrasts and richness to the spaces. It works together with the pared-back natural colours and material palette, adding a layer of expression and character to the space, changing depending on the time of day. Tube LED lighting breaks up the larger internal spaces, further giving each room modern nuance.

There is an undeniable sense of rhythm felt whilst moving through the house.

What sets Grange Road Residence apart is its use of stone throughout the entirety of the house. Feature marble from Artedomus is utilised in the façade and throughout the interior. The home’s exterior is crafted using custom finished Grigio Orsola, adding in colourful layers of warmth with a rust veining. The interior, on the other hand, made room for a cooler textured palette – Vagli white marble from Italy was selected for its purple, pink and green undertones. Most significantly, the rare stone Dedalus was used to highlight elements throughout the house, including a basin, sculpture base and wine cellar shelving. Finally, completing the home’s stone collection is a Wyrie table from the Artedomus New Volumes range, custom made from Selenis stone.

Inspired by the warmth and coolness provided by the stone from Artedomus, Conrad Architects and Lauren Tarrant Design used the texture and tones of featured stone to drive the contemporary character behind Grange Road Residence. With a grand façade and an even grander interior, this family home settles into its Toorak location with ease.

Feature marble from Artedomus is utilised in the façade and throughout the interior.