Ivanhoe East House

by Pop Architecture

Ivanhoe East House was originally designed by Hipwell, Weight & Mason in the late 1950s. The current owners purchased the house in 1994 and are only the third owners of the home. Under the current owner, the house underwent some renovation works in the 1990s, and in 2019 engaged Pop Architecture to make some interior alterations to the home. The brief asked for a sympathetic but contemporary upgrade to Kitchen, Living and Bathroom zones focused on finishes and joinery. Pop Architecture’s design approach was to enhance the spirit of the original home, by removing dated or deteriorating elements (whether original or later insertions), and replacing them with subtly reconfigured pieces or modern materials. The design refocusses the view on the expansive outlook by replacing bulky joinery with sliding translucent glass panels. These also revive the concept of the original (but previously removed) concertina screen dividing the kitchen and living space, while letting light pass through and allowing for flexible use of the open plan area. The new kitchen, takes cues from the original cc 1960 layout and is intentionally recessive in colour and materiality to provide relief from the predominantly timber interior palette.

New cane fronted joinery in the dining and living zones reference the material of original joinery but are configured to suit contemporary living and entertaining – a wall hung buffet in the dining room, low storage and a TV unit in the lounge room. Feature lighting from local designer Coco Flip, paired with Aboriginal artwork and Australian modernist furniture pieces (supplied for styling by Conor Lyon) firmly place the project in the Australian environment – a principal key to the Australian modernist era. In the family bathrooms, terrazzo tiles replaced tired vinyl, and joinery and tap colour selection playfully accentuates the original blue wall tiles and pink bath. In the master ensuite, vertically stacked glazed finger tiles reference the desaturated and flickering quality of the leafy view overhead. The interior alterations were completed in 2020 and were built by Caple Builders (Alex Caple, the son of the current owners, who grew up in the home). The owners intend to stay in the home for many more years and contribute to its past and evolving history.