Holbrooke House by Brahman Perera

On a sloping block in West Brunswick, Melbourne, just strides away from a parkland and creek, sits a dwelling that seems to have been born in the same breath. Holbrooke House, designed by Melbourne-based interior designer Brahman Perera, nods to Art Deco style while remaining grounded in its contemporary surroundings.

Completed in 2024, the east-facing property revels in natural light and comprises three bedrooms across two floors, a third basement level and a rooftop terrace courtyard. Reimagining early 20th-century design, the home harmonises deep timbers, aged brass, varying stones, minerality, parquetry flooring and dramatic tones. “This wasn’t intended to be a clichéd replication of an Art Deco home but rather to take kernels of ideas from that style and inform this contemporary build in an honest way,” explains Perera.

Completed in 2024, the east-facing property revels in natural light and comprises three bedrooms across two floors, a third basement level and a rooftop terrace courtyard.

As for what prompted the owners to enlist an interior designer for a new build, Perera explains that it was a matter of taming its proportions. “The clients had experience in renovating property in the past but wanted me to develop a design language to soften the build,” he says. Though he was given carte blanche over the design, the owners did specify a caveat: to maximise the use of available space. “This was to be the family’s ‘forever home’, and thus a place that would grow with them and their two young children,” he adds.

In a bid to tailor the home for entertaining while also ensuring privacy, Perera exercised the art of zoning. The ground floor features a formal sitting room in the front and a more casual lounge and dining area at the rear. The first floor is reserved for ensuite bedrooms, while the basement is outfitted with a rumpus room for the children, a home gym and a wine cellar. The kitchen, large in volume, has been divided into parts, “so that it doesn’t feel overly large within a day-to-day capacity but can accommodate large events”. It is demarcated to include two separate counter areas and a butler’s kitchen behind.

Reimagining early 20th-century design, the home harmonises deep timbers, aged brass, varying stones, minerality, parquetry flooring and dramatic tones.

Durability was important to the owners, and they were keen to invest in quality furniture, such as the Arflex Ben Ben sofa and Cassina Cab counter stools, that could age with the home and withstand wear and tear. “But they also wanted to counterbalance with more classic pieces and elements of art and styling that felt true to them and their experiences,” says Perera, adding, “the selection and layout of the furniture was about maximising and softening the space. The materiality and palette were curated to both complement the home’s finishes and bring the space into a new light.”

Perera deemed no detail too small, including the joinery, which he designed to seamlessly blend into the furniture. “Treating joinery and storage as individual pieces of design allowed me to translate the Art Deco gestures into a contemporary context that suits everyday life, with details that are both unexpected and sculptural,” he observes.

“The materiality and palette were curated to both complement the home’s finishes and bring the space into a new light.”

Admittedly, for Perera, the project was not without its challenges. “Its initial stages were completed during the harshest periods of the lockdown,” he says, citing other hurdles such as a steep site gradient and the weight of materials – some of which were deemed too heavy for the property’s engineering. Despite these obstacles, he persevered, meticulously adjusting plans and materials to ensure structural integrity without compromising his or the owners’ aesthetic vision.

Interior design by Brahman Perera. Build by IBD Developments. Landscape design by Acre and Vogue Grange.