The Influence of Storied Pasts – Brass House by Edwina Glenn

Resulting from the decision to renovate and curate an existing home instead of building new, Brass House is the culmination of nostalgic storied pasts influencing the present. Edwina Glenn, in close collaboration with the client and builder, brings a combined refinement and textural palette to this Toorak home.

Our pasts inevitably have an ensuing influence on our present and an idealised future, which we often then express in our homes. Some elements offer comfort while others are lessons on what we prefer to leave behind. All the while, our decisions are being shaped by the cultural and geographically specific details we are exposed to along the way. In considering the option of building new versus renovating existing, the clients of Brass House wanted to instil their own imprint into an existing building and express their own narratives in the resulting spaces – fusing the home’s past with their own relevant present. The close collaboration between client, builder and interior designer Edwina Glenn sees the coming-together of a specific narrative, which is met by refinement in detailing, textures and palette selections.

Located in Melbourne’s inner south, the heritage-rich home sits comfortably in its context of neighbouring similar homes in size and narrative. Built by Visioneer Builders, Brass House sees the kitchen become the central pull within the home, as a social gathering space. Initially described as a ‘vanilla’ property, one without defining details or a true sense of considered space, the resulting replanning and repositioning of zones and inter-connectivity has meant the home now has a more considered and curated purpose. As a Dutch-Australian, the client was well attuned to dark and heavily stained timber floors and joinery and wanted deliberately to steer away from this heavy aesthetic. Instead, a richness was imbedded through the chosen materiality and high level of craft and detailing, instead of through colour and tone alone.

At the commencement of the collaboration, steel windows, parquetry flooring and brass detailing were decidedly non-negotiables and needed to feature throughout. These key elements then set the foundation for the other layered elements that add richness and depth to the resulting spaces. Full-height glass and steel doors flood the central kitchen and living spaces with natural light and effortlessly connect the interiors with the outside. Together with muted stone, the warm oak parquetry flooring creates a sense of framing. The honed Calcutta gold marble and solid brass hardware then complete the tactile experience in key touchpoint areas.

Brass House is founded on a clear and decisive vision for a home, built on a narrative of past experience and connection to space. Edwina Glenn has brought a contemporary sensibility to a previously lacklustre home and given it a new purpose with heightened detail and consideration.