For Melbourne design studio Brave New Eco, a good home should tell a story about the person who lives there.
So when it came to renovating this Brunswick off-the-plan apartment, creating new spaces where the owner could show off their love of music was a key part of the brief.
As part of the Balfe Park Lane complex designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects, the apartment was somewhat of a perfect ‘blank canvas.’
‘It was well constructed with lovely architectural design features. It was a larger-than-average size that achieved a high level of compliance in the Livable Design Standards, and it had a beautiful leafy outlook with a large balcony facing Balfe Park,’ says Brave New Eco founder and design director Megan Norgate.
The interiors just needed a more personal touch.
The owner had a ‘busy but organised’ collection of objects and electric music equipment — from DJ decks to speakers — that prompted Brave New Eco to create a custom floor-to-ceiling joinery wall in the living room. Made by Auld Design from eco-certified blackbutt, this timber unit features a mix of open and concealed sections, keeping cluttered items like power points and cords out of view.
The unit also helps delineate the living space from the kitchen (without overpowering 70-square-footprint of the home) and includes a built-in bench seat clad in a playful tartan fabric.
Megan adds, ‘The bench provides a peaceful view out to the park and activates a place for a conversational triangle with people seated on the sofa and armchair.’
Other clever space-saving features of the renovation include a fold-down Murphy bed concealed into a wall of joinery in the second bedroom; and a nook behind the front door that serves as a work-from-home space.
All these details are finished in the same warm timber, which provides a newfound sense of texture and character to the interiors.
Megan says a series of discreet pops of colour like deep teal and mandarin add to the ‘lived-in’ style of the home — which now feels like a customised and complete space!
