A Balanced Transition – St Kilda House by Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design

Fusing a respectful approach to heritage and a fascination with Parisian charm, St Kilda House balances the ornate with the contemporary through a refreshing lens. Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design proposes a monochromatic and time-wearing approach that creates a crisp transition between the historical references and a modern relevance.

Sitting comfortably in the eclectic surrounds of St Kilda, the same-named terrace home is transformed with a considered and respectful methodology, while maintaining its storied past. Through a restoration of the existing Victorian-era features and the infusing of a contemporary understanding of spatial interrelationships, the revitalised residence is both freshly relevant as well as a clear celebration of its past. With an interest in the Parisian styling and period approach, the client wanted to bring in subtle references as nods to the French capital, capturing an element of its charm and character, while feeling deliberate at the same time. Through a softening of the interiors and the movement through hit as well as a crispening of the threshold between inside and out, Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design offers a counterbalance.

As a family home, opening up the previous formality as much as possible was important to allow places to gather and convene.

Built by Tykon, St Kilda House spreads over dual levels and is a combined restoration and extension effort. As a family home, opening up the previous formality as much as possible was important to allow places to gather and convene. And in bringing back the lost dignity through disrepair, the existing ornate and delicate details of its period stylings are reinstated. A focus on quality sees a considered approach utilised throughout. From the interior reshaping and opening up to embrace a modern engagement between zones to the fixtures, fittings and selection of furniture, lighting and artwork – each element has been conceived from the same shared values.

Essential to the feeling of connection within the home is the one expressed with the outdoors. Through the insertion of steel-framed glass doors, the act of transitioning from inside to out becomes its own moment, marking the act as its own gesture.  A muted palette of similar toned finishes complements the natural and subtle veining in the marble, while the dark and textured herringbone flooring offers an artisanal French influence, warming and connecting the home.

Both in an openness between the zones, visually and physically, and through an approach to materiality and finishes, there is a heightened sensory experience imbedded in the engagement with the use of the home.

St Kilda Home brings the layered past of its site together with a contemporary awareness and through considered and elevated details, Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design has infused a charming appeal into this slight and scaled-down heritage terrace home.