Vincent House

Vincent House is a private family home in Glen Iris, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. The brief called for a generous internal footprint, four bedrooms and three living areas, without giving up daylight, garden connection or an easy, free-flowing plan.

The response is a confident architectural language that begins at the entrance. Deep window reveals and rendered banding define and tie together a robust, low-maintenance material palette that still makes a bold statement. A portico leads to a large timber pivot door, which opens onto a tree-lined courtyard at the heart of the home. Double-height glazing wraps the courtyard, drawing natural light deep into the plan and holding a constant connection to the garden. A light, minimal stair sits alongside this glazing, so the view of the trees shifts as you climb to the first floor.

Beyond the stair, an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space extends to a covered alfresco area and garden. A fully glazed splashback frames the landscape and lifts the dark cabinetry, while marble benchtops carry through the space to tie the material story together. Upstairs, full-height glazing opens the main bedroom to the street, with sheer blinds and concealed curtain tracks giving full control of light and privacy. The walk-in robe is lit by a carefully placed skylight, and the ensuite draws on a heated floor, a free-standing bath, a light-filled shower and a frameless glazed skylight to create a calm, luxurious retreat.

The home covers 525 m2 across two levels on a 650 m2 site, completed in 2020.

Architecture and interior design by Roger Borland of Borland Architecture. Engineering by PSE Consulting Engineers. Built by Concept Build. Photography by Jack Lovel.