Davidov Architects Studio

Davidov Architects Studio is the practice's own workplace fit-out in Melbourne, and the first space purpose-designed by the studio to test the architectural ideas evolving in its built work. The 101-square-metre interior occupies a commercial shell that runs north to south, with large south-facing windows drawing in natural light and orienting two linear spaces, a meeting room and a workroom. A third minor space holds services and back of house.

The meeting room carries three tables, sized for six to eight, two to four, and one to two people, so discussions of different scales can be held formally or casually as the moment requires. The workroom adopts a common-table model suited to a young practice in slow, deliberate growth, allowing the studio to expand along the spine while keeping a close-knit working environment. The length of the table is split into work and talk zones, leaving room for informal and in-house conversation elsewhere.

Circulation between the two main rooms adds interest and scale, and introduces the studio's wider interests in compression and expansion, refuge and prospect. A raised bar and the varied meeting tables give individuals and groups several settings to choose from. Joinery follows a more residential approach, complemented by natural stone, hardwood and indoor plants, while familiar domestic furniture, art and sculpture reinforce that scale and feel. The result is a free-flowing, adaptable interior that lets the two core functions of work and talk be performed in more idiosyncratic ways.

Architect: Robert Davidov. Senior documenter: Wayne Tindal. Interior design: Davidov Architects. Photography: Jack Lovel.