A Calming Clarity – Adam Kane Architects’ Studio by Adam Kane Architects

Words by Bronwyn Marshall
Architecture by Adam Kane Architects
Photography by Felix Forest
Interior Design by Adam Kane Architects

As an expression of core values and their unique approach, Adam Kane Architect’s Studio embodies a matched minimalistic sensibility as their ensuing work. Adam Kane Architects employ a similar restraint and heightened engagement with craft and detailing and conjure a space of calming clarity.

Within the walls of an existing heritage building in South Melbourne, Adam Kane Architects curate their own studio space as an extension of their own innate approach. Encased in a muted tonality, the space expresses the core values of the practice of stripping back the ornate, and the emphasis on refinement and crafted detail. Through a connection to minimalistic values, the spaces reflect a heightened elegance and pursuit of the timeless, with custom designed and crafted elements dotted throughout. Restraint and detail become the focus, are as the enveloping experience of the practice first-hand, offers itself as a prelude to the work being conceived within its walls. Adam Kane Architects has created a space that allows clients to immerse themselves within, and experience through sensory engagement, their work.

As the light enters the spaces, the dark and deliberately brooding areas are illuminated, and the original heritage details highlighted.

Built by Hardwick Build Co, the space commenced with the removal of the existing load-bearing internal walls that interrupted an openly connected plan. This gesture allowed the space to be reconstructed from a base level, stemming from the intended interconnected relationships between zones. The openness also allowed an abundance of natural light to enter the space, opening the opportunity for a darker and more engaging palette to be used. As a result, as the light enters, the dark and deliberately brooding spaces are illuminated, and the original heritage details highlighted. A layering of textural elements, and select furniture, objects, lighting and artwork then add personality and curate each space.

As a base, the original floorboards are left untreated and raw, as a reminder of the lineage of the building and offering a tactile element against other smooth insertions. Spanning the dedicated workspace on the first floor is a singular table surface around which all staff gather, while the custom element sits monumental in the space. Behind sits an elemental bronze block of custom joinery that houses amenity, storage, materials library and kitchen facilities. The bold and sculptural element acts to delineate the spaces while concealing the working elements of the office, allowing the patina of the bronze to be lit and animated throughout the day.

As a base, the original floorboards are left untreated and raw, as a reminder of the lineage of the building and offering a tactile element against other smooth insertions.

Adam Kane Architects’ Studio have carefully crafted their everyday space as the projected image of their own work and created an immersive and emotive experience for their clients as a result.