Kinship Through Design – The Penthouse at Thirty Anderson by Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors

The natural environment has long been channelled by architects and designers, its calming qualities and restful earthiness often emulated through materiality and form. The Penthouse at Thirty Anderson, designed by Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors with furniture and styling by Collective, draws on nature’s unrivalled tranquillity, resulting in a luxurious residence that explores kinship through design.

Located in Melbourne’s South Yarra on the edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Thirty Anderson is part of The Botanic Collection by Sadikay Group, with the penthouse the jewel of the collection. Director of Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors Rob Mills cites the work of celebrated modernist architects Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn as highly influential to the design, coupled with a genuine desire to create a place that cultivates wellbeing. “We’re all discovering how important it is to live in a healthy, well environment – in a calm environment,”he says, adding, “this building will give you that experience because of the acoustics, the quality of the light and the quality of the materials we’ve used.”

“The materials we chose for the interiors are one with the building form – with the shell, if you like. There’s a direct connection and that’s why your eye is able to travel through and across the architecture and the interior details,” Rob Mills explains.

The Penthouse at Thirty Anderson features a serene palette including richly veined natural stone, grey and silver hues, and textural, polished plaster walls. Lush rugs and light, flowing fabrics bring softness while timber flooring and complementary timber joinery have a continuous, soothing effect. Made by Storey supplied and installed the timber flooring, which stretches from front to back, contributing to the cohesive internal experience. Together with Rob and Butch Sadikay, Managing Director of Sadikay Group, Made by Storey selected Ash from the Touch Collection in a custom size, laid in plank style. Wire brushed and finished with a hardwax oil, the boards enhance the organic, earthy aesthetic reminiscent of driftwood.

There is an abundance of natural light here and, despite its typology, ample connection to the outdoors. Large skylights bring pools of natural illumination into the building, and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors capture swathes of treetops and open sky. “The materials we chose for the interiors are one with the building form – with the shell, if you like. There’s a direct connection and that’s why your eye is able to travel through and across the architecture and the interior details,” Rob explains. “It’s a singular experience; it flows and that’s calming.” Curved walls and rounded edges – as well as 3.2-metre-high ceilings – help to create this momentum. Full-height steel-framed glass doors soften every transition through a lightness and fragility of form, simultaneously enhancing the volumes of this penthouse. The space feels at once generous and enveloping, encouraging a certain slowness of both mind and movement.

Butch believes the sheer exclusivity of The Penthouse at Thirty Anderson comes down to “the combination of arguably the best location in Victoria, the design and quality of the build, and the specification of the best products available.” The bath, which is carved out of one piece of stone, is an example of the artisanship within this home. Butch also notes the private pool terrace and outdoor kitchen as standout features. Accessible by lift, the terrace boasts views to the bay, across the Royal Botanic Gardens and of the city skyline.

The Penthouse at Thirty Anderson is the synthesis of well-honed design principles and the intangible, soothing effects of nature. As a home, it is both grand in its execution and humbling in its fundamental principles. Rob says this project “embodies the philosophy” of the studio’s work, acknowledging nature as the source of so many ideas.