Reconnection to Origins – Toorak House by Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design

Through a recalibration, Toorak House sees a tired mid-century residence, having survived multiple generations, injected with a contemporary relevance. Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design draws on the home’s origins to emphasise crafted detailing and an open, connected life.

 In the suburb of the same name, sitting amongst preserved reminding gems of the area’s past, Toorak House has been home to multiple generations of the same family and was in need of a realignment with contemporary life. The new works see the reorienting of focus to the kitchen as the heart of the home, with the living spaces radiating out from it. Key principles of the mid-century movement are retained and celebrated as part of the home, with key connections between the inside and the surrounding gardens as a binding element to the site. While maintaining connections to its past, Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design transforms through enriching materials and an outward-focused openness.

 While the majority of the new gestures occur amongst the kitchen, living, bathroom and mud room spaces, the entire home is brought forward into a new relevance.

Built by SG Building Group, Toorak House transforms the existing while maintaining the prevailing footprint and outer limits of the home. Internally, a rearrangement of zoning reorients the focus to reflect a contemporary and connected life. While the majority of the new gestures occur amongst the kitchen, living, bathroom and mud room spaces, the entire home is brought forward into a new relevance. The redesign allows for the inclusion of two separate bathrooms and a powder room, while also generously opening the kitchen to be the prominent convening area of the home. The selection of furniture and artworks add to the core principles, with a focus on connection and an enduring longevity.

Similar warmth from the original tonality is brought forward into the new, with integrated joinery elements encased in Tasmanian oak. The same species runs through the home underfoot, adding warmth and bringing in a natural texture in the process and connecting to existing window and door frames throughout. Skylights bring in additional natural light and alleviate the need for decorative lighting, ensuring an emphasised open cleanness to the spaces. Weaving in hand made and artisanal elements ensures the client’s tactile and robust brief is achieved. Pops of vibrancy offer a relief from the calming natural and create destinations out of the bathroom spaces.

Weaving in hand made and artisanal elements ensures the client’s tactile and robust brief is achieved. Pops of vibrancy offer a relief from the calming natural and create destinations out of the bathroom spaces.

In respecting the home’s past narrative, Toorak House revives the spirit of the family home through a reconnection to base principles. Openly embracing its natural surrounds, Melanie Beynon Architecture and Design is able to craft a series of spaces that feel lived and deliberate, while also injecting a needed freshness.