Malvern House

Set towards the rear of the block, this two-storey addition extends a weatherboard Edwardian home in Melbourne's Malvern. The plan was shaped around an existing underground wine cellar, with the new work strategically built over and around it. The brief called for a practical, flexible family home that could absorb the energy of three young boys and adapt as the household's needs change.

Taking advantage of a northerly aspect, the living spaces open to a pool and outdoor deck, with sliding glazed doors recessing into brick piers to blur the line between inside and out. Timber fins screen oblique views of neighbouring properties and provide summer sun shading. Materials were selected to complement the original white weatherboard house: limed silvertop ash cladding sits alongside painted brick piers, VJ panelling and timber joinery for a layered, textured palette. The existing fireplace and chimney were retained as the threshold between old and new, marking the transition to the upper-level parent retreat.

Across the home, layers of transparency draw daylight deep into the plan while softening the boundaries between zones. A north-facing window seat overlooks the pool and garden, and full-height steel-framed doors allow the house to be divided when separation is needed. The addition spans two levels across a 225 square metre project on a 487 square metre site, completed in 2020.

Architecture and interiors by Eliza Blair Architecture, the interiors in collaboration with LP Interiors. Built by Kleev Homes. Landscape design by Sophie McLean Landscape Design. Photography by Shannon McGrath.