An existing interwar duplex in Melbourne’s St Kilda East on a sloping site was the foundation of this challenging conversion project.

The two units had complex floor plans over three levels, including a detached basement. The interior was adapted primarily through the demolition of dividing walls and floors. The basement garage was connected through a new staircase and repurposed as the kids’ play area.

The solidity of the original building was respected through curved details and materials designed to emphasise mass. A new central void above the entry creates drama and provides a visual clarity to the arrangement of spaces.

The building’s steep elevation provided excellent views but created a disconnection with the outdoors. A key gesture was burying the old garage doors behind a grassy hill to connect the main living space to the garden and swimming pool.

The result is a home that’s open and connected; an entertainer where young kids and pets can run wild.

Entry
New landscaping and custom steel gates mark the way into the former duplex

Entrance
A new void was created at the entry to provide natural light and to better connect all the main spaces of the home.

Outdoor Connection
The home is set over three floors. The two original single garages have been buried under a landscaped mound to better connect the living area to the new garden and swimming pool. The garages have been integrated and connected into the main house and act as play areas for the kids. A steel-framed canopy at the Living Room level has vines developing across it that will provide shade.

Kitchen
The long island bench spans across the two halves of the former units which are now consolidated. The kitchen has a front and back portion that work hard for a family that frequently entertains.

Bathrooms
The terrazzo tiled bathrooms extend into what were previously service balconies