Outward Opening – Melbourne Residence by Kate Walker Design

Adding a refreshing and lightened touch to the previous Victorian-era home, Melbourne Residence opens generously to the surrounding landscape, welcoming new connections. Kate Walker Design reworks the interior to overlay a more crafted approach, folding in refined details and a contemporary rigour, setting the new owners up for the years to come.

Nestled within the inner Melbourne locale of Armadale, a recent renovation saw a new chapter for Melbourne Residence. Wanting to layer in a personal expression among the existing character elements of the home, the owners engaged Kate Walker Design to enrich the interior spaces, weaving in personal touches in the process. Using texture, natural materials and more linear elements, the existing is expanded and opened to outwardly engage with the surrounding landscape with purpose. By opening the form and its connections, the new spaces become filled with natural light, animated by the changing landscape.

Kate Walker Design brings a warmth to an otherwise cool palette, whilst still ensuring a feeling of openness and volume is internally felt.

Set within a generous site allotment with an already established garden, the original Victorian-era home sat to the front of the property, with the recent addition pushing the overall built form further into the site. The recent layering by Kate Walker Design increases the feeling of being connected, both internally and outwardly. Bringing in tones and textures from the garden, a muted and neutral base allows for the ideal curation of furniture, lighting and artwork to come together throughout.

Kate Walker Design brings a warmth to an otherwise cool palette, whilst still ensuring a feeling of openness and volume is internally felt. The use of blue sits predominantly among an otherwise monochromatic palette and is used in several varying tones – saturated in some areas and diluted in others. Together with timber, the result sees spaces that feel both warm and inviting, using plump textures and a tactile expression to create a sense of balance with the other white and lighter insertions.

Bringing in tones and textures from the garden, a muted and neutral base allows for the ideal curation of furniture, lighting and artwork to come together throughout.

Carrying forward a sense of character and charm from the original home, Melbourne Residence combines heritage with a contemporary lens. Kate Walker Design has created just the right combination of vibrant and muted colour, allowing the home to remain relevant and endure with grace.