Richly Layered – Stewart Residence by CoLab Design Studio

Stewart Residence sees the opening of an existing apartment into a series of connected and flowing zones, with the spaces bound through a sweeping warmth and textural tonality. CoLAB Design Studio re-sculpts the interior to insert a richness, layering elements that elevate and drawing the eye outward to the surrounding views while inviting an abundance of natural light inwards.

Unlike many neighbouring residences in Southbank in Melbourne that focus purely on light, Stewart Residence sees the home in the sky transformed into an emotive and sensory journey through space. Opting for a less traditional and darker palette than is commonly seen in apartment living, the home takes on a feeling of true escape, allowing the owners to burrow into their unique spaces. Despite its warmth, the openness and access to natural light offers a welcoming balance between inside and out, connecting to solar gains and a shared passivity throughout. CoLAB Design Studio focuses light and funnels movement through the home, creating an effortless sense of assembly while also allowing for retreat through the intimate arrangement within.

While the original offered a formality through the division of spaces, a more contemporary linking between was deemed more important and became the focus.

As a re-shaping exercise, the entire interior is reworked, realigned and opened to reflect a more connected lifestyle that eases movement throughout. While the original offered a formality through the division of spaces, a more contemporary linking between was deemed more important and became the focus. Originally arranged as three bedrooms, the new planning allows for a more deliberate use of the home in response to its owners and how they wanted to optimise their experience and interaction with the surrounds. Converted into a two-bedroom and home office home, the reworking of the bathroom, kitchen and the creation of a dedicated laundry all ensure the various zones come together and feel imagined from the same core values and palette direction.

Concealing joins and integrated storage throughout, the implementation of new inserted joinery speaks to the creation of calm and the home as a place of rest and respite. By allowing the supporting life elements to be concealed, the home becomes more open and flexible, with the furniture, lighting and artwork then able to be curated or adjusted over time while the base remains constant. Emphasising a sense of immersion, the materiality brings an intentional warmth to the home. With the natural texture of timber connecting beyond the built elements and bringing a reference to nature, the use of opaque glass and grey stone add subtleties that engage with the incoming light throughout the day.

Emphasising a sense of immersion, the materiality brings an intentional warmth to the home.

As a nod to its surrounds and the elevated positioning of the home, CoLAB Design Studio allows connections to naturally occur. Both as its own destination and one that connects to the locale, Stewart Residence feels both unique and grounded in place.