Design-Focused Family Home - Wilbur’s House by Allison Pye Interiors

With warehouse-to-residential conversions virtually de rigueur, Allison Pye Interiors explores the potential in another, much less common, conversion with Wilbur’s House, a former medical centre in Melbourne’s east turned design-focused family home.

Allison Pye was engaged by a friend, an industrial designer, to design the interiors for the new family home, which had been converted from a former medical centre by the client’s father, an architect. The combination of the friendship between them, Allison explains, and the fact that the client was an industrial designer led to an extremely open and collaborative working relationship during the design process of Wilbur’s House. “Because we were friends, there was a lot of trust,” says Allison, “and the whole family were also extremely informed about design, so they could really appreciate all the fine details.”

When Allison first saw the project, she remembers “it was all daggy grey laminate with a bit of blue, paper-thin partitioned walls and little cubicles, and the backyard was an asphalt parking lot, where the kids were riding around on bikes and playing basketball.” Despite these unprepossessing aspects (basketball notwithstanding), the building was blessed with an overall open-plan layout. Several different levels also allowed for strong zoning, with the kitchen located right in the heart of the home, the parents’ retreat and office on one site, and the family living and children’s bedrooms on the other.

“Because we were friends, there was a lot of trust.”

The kitchen was very consciously positioned in the centre of Wilbur’s House at the request of the clients, keen cooks, for whom the kitchen is not just a functional space but an important area for entertaining and socialising. “They were very adamant about the layout, and in particular, they wanted the cooktop on the island,” says Allison. “They’re very big cooks and wanted to be able to entertain while cooking.”

The design reflects this blurring of the line between the traditional kitchen and a more integrated, contemporary use of the space. “We designed a kitchen that doesn’t look like a kitchen,” Allison reflects frankly. Key to this was the clients’ appreciation of design. “They totally loved the details the Miffy lamp, the Fisher & Paykel appliances, the bright pop of colour and the arrangement of the detail elements along the wall,” she says. To create this very un-kitchen-like space, the design focused on keeping a “light touch”, keeping solid elements low to the ground, and carefully using materiality to keep the eye focused lower in the space.

“They were very adamant about the layout, and in particular, they wanted the cooktop on the island.”

“Being a kitchen, there are of course a certain amount of practical things that had to be housed there, but I didn’t want it to be heaving or overbearing,” Allison explains. “We used beautiful details, such as cupboards that disappear into the wall paneling, and the open island that keeps it light and airy but actually houses a heavy amount of functionality.” White tiling to the benchtop and back wall reflects light and provides a subtle texture. Meanwhile, the island combines an extremely delicate steel frame with oak cabinetry that creates an effect more similar to furniture than a typical kitchen bench.

The Fisher & Paykel appliances were critical to achieving the kitchen design, while performance and functionality were key for a family who loves to cook. In selecting the products, Allison explains, “it was mainly about invisibility, which is what Fisher & Paykel do beautifully. The integrated fridge (which is just fantastic for a big family) hides seamlessly within the blue joinery. The clients had always had Fisher & Paykel DishDrawers and were keen to have one again. The fact it could also be integrated and lifted off the ground into the raised cabinetry was also really important.”

“They totally loved the details the Miffy lamp, the Fisher & Paykel appliances, the bright pop of colour and the arrangement of the detail elements along the wall.”

As the clients had specifically requested the cooktop be located on the island, a 900mm induction cooktop was chosen, sitting simply and elegantly as a piece of black glass within the slim porcelain surface. Induction was also appreciated for its exceptionally fine control over temperature, while the large-capacity electric oven was selected for its convenience when cooking groups of family and friends. “I use Fisher & Paykel products very regularly, I think they’re very clever,” says Allison. “They’ve spent a lot of time and money on research and development, the aesthetic is great, and the clients are always really happy with the appliances.”

While the kitchen is the social and physical heart of the home, a similar approach of integration and design-focused elements was taken to the other spaces. “It’s all about design finesse, and it was wonderful having clients who appreciate that,” says Allison. The parents’ retreat is structured and an open-plan master bedroom and living room, complete with its own wood fire that divides the zones. Seamless joinery for the robe also marks the transition into the ensuite, a simple yet luxurious space filled with diffuse natural light.

Wilbur’s House highlights that a design-focused residential conversion is not reserved solely for warehouses, and demonstrates what can be achieved when designer and client share a mutual appreciation for contemporary design. Through a collaborative and considered approach, the formerly clinical and “daggy” building has been transformed into a vibrant family home.