Narrow Block Beauty
What do you do when your client’s brief for their dream home is challenged by the conditions of the site? For builders Stonehenge, this called for an exceptional design solution that is a testament to their reputation as one of Melbourne’s leading luxury home builders.
Set in prestigious Toorak, the owners of this property wanted a home which would exude the stately grandeur of classical architecture, while maximising the light filled spaces and clean lines of modern architecture. They also wanted a large, bright home with generous space. However, the long narrow block of sloping proportions, flanked by tall homes on either side, presented a challenge.
To overcome the narrow frontage, Stonehenge designers created a front façade which frames the entrance symmetrically, with a garage offset to either side, a deep and tall double storey porch and vertical windows, which all provide visual scale to the front of the home. Feature stone cladding has been used to frame the door and windows.
Thanks to clever design, the interior feels bright and generous. A practical central corridor runs from the front entry right through to the living area at the rear of the home which spreads the entire width of the block.
In the generous open plan living areas, high ceilings and windows enhance the feeling of space and add the brightness to the home that was so important to the clients ,whilst extra-wide engineered Red Rivergum floorboards without expansion joints run throughout the whole ground floor area, providing warmth and character.
This area opens out seamlessly onto an al fresco area complete with with outdoor kitchen, external fireplace, integrated seating and a tall urn water feature.
The crisp white kitchen features an extra-long window across the full length of the work bench, providing extra light and an outlook to the green garden bed along the side boundary.
The upstairs retreat features a home theatre opening onto a large balcony. Privacy issues with the neighbouring property were overcome with a clever horizontal screen installed at the balustrading to ensure full advantage could be taken of the city skyline views.
This large home also offers four bedrooms – three with ensuites, plus a bathroom, powder room, two studies, formal dining room, several alfresco areas and two large garages.
The end result is an elegant yet comfortable contemporary home with all the modern conveniences, and is the ideal environment for a growing family.