Strength & Clarity of Concept - 131 Residences by Carr Design

Comprising of four unique residences in a boutique development envelope, 131 Residences by Carr Design embodies a strength and clarity of concept that permeates all aspects of the architecture and interiors.

Director of Architecture Chris McCue led Carr’s response to the site, which is situated in a leafy pocket of South Yarra in Melbourne. Chris drew upon his experience in generating a rich and varied portfolio of work both in Australia and internationally to create the external form, which is designed as one of shifting planes.

Overlapping frames, cantilevered forms and deep recesses create a strong and dynamic architectural presence. The linearity of form and simplicity of materiality contribute to a confident yet understated contemporary aesthetic while responding to the complexities and realities of medium-density living. Carr has carefully imbued each of the four individual residences with its own character and defined relationship to aspect, landscape, orientation, streetscape and views. However, the unity of the whole remains uncompromised due to the rhythmic placement of glazing, the cohesiveness of the fine material detailing, and glass balustrades that run the entire span of the building.

In this way, from the street, the building reads as two carefully balanced and proportioned volumes. The overall effect demonstrates the architects’ considered approach to the context of the site. The external shell acts as a protective layer surrounding the spaces inside, while also inviting in outlooks to the surrounding verdant landscape and simultaneously respectfully diminishing overlooking of neighbouring properties. The result is a robust yet sensitive architecture that accesses the best of the site, including expansive outlooks over the city, and creates an intimate and protected internal living environment.

Principal Sue Carr’s interior design of 131 Residences takes its cues from the concept of shifting planes, creating a considered repetition and echoing of key forms and ideas between the architecture and the interiors. The result is a delicate interplay between the two, clarifying and informing the relationship between each discipline individually, as well as creating a remarkable clarity and unity across the project as a whole.

Overlapping frames, cantilevered forms and deep recesses create a strong and dynamic architectural presence.

The interior’s striking minimalist aesthetic is enlivened by careful detailing and layering of materials and made possible by close attention to functionality. Freestanding joinery walls serve multiple purposes, with joinery hiding core services, television units and double-sided fireplaces as well as providing ample storage. In addition to these key functions, joinery houses sliding walls that can be employed to define living zones as needed, while embracing an overall open and connected plan that allows space to flow seamlessly.

Spaces are barely reined in by their framed enclosures, enhancing a sense of generous spaciousness. The barrier between interior and exterior spaces is virtually nonexistent due to expanses of floor-to-ceiling-glazing within the finest of framing. External balconies and terraces are conceived almost as external rooms, causing indoor and outdoor spaces to flow into each other, while greenery from the garden creates a calm, tranquil outlook and natural light animates the interior.

The interior’s striking minimalist aesthetic is enlivened by careful detailing.

In harmony with 131 Residences’ overall emphasis on quality, simplicity and restraint, the interior material palette is defined by extensive areas of natural stone and timber. Timber joinery and flooring creates a sense of refined warmth, with a subtle tactility and soft, timeless aesthetic. Marble with an emphasis on grey tones is used not only in expected areas such as the kitchen and bathroom but internal stairs as well, creating a minimalist sculptural feature that connects levels within the residences.

To complement these meticulously-designed interiors, Sue Carr specified Rogerseller throughout 131 Residences. “Our relationship with Rogerseller has spanned well over 40 years – back to the days of Rogers Seller & Myhill. Rogerseller has always exemplified a superior level of service, continuous product innovation and a timeless design aesthetic,” Sue says. She explains the specific products chosen, which include Fantini Milano tapware, Catalano Zero toilet and bidet, Hidden Stainless Steel Push Plate and Strap By Rogerseller brushed stainless steel accessories, were selected for their timeless design, considered detailing and overall quality. In this way, the products harmonise with the intent of the project as a bold study in contemporary form and controlled simplicity.

The Fantini Milano tapware, in particular, creates a strong yet minimalist impact against the elegant expanse of grey and white marble. As Italy’s most iconic Italian tapware designers, Fantini are renowned for exceptional quality and innovation, combined with an unparalleled purity of line, form and materiality. “The architectural precision of the Fantini Milano range works harmoniously with the simplicity of the interior and the minimal aesthetic of 131 Residences,” says Sue. “The timeless finishes are a confident complement to the solid forms, meticulous detailing and refined materiality used throughout the interior.”

In all things, 131 Residences exemplifies a highly coherent approach to design, in which the strength of the concept is evident across all scales of the project – from the form of the architecture to the finest of interior details. The result is four luxurious and timeless residences, brought together through the absolute conviction through which they have been planned, both inside and out.