This Melbourne Apartment Has the Coolest Solution for Exposed Pipes

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Footprint: 990 square feet

Interior Design: Nexus Designs, Sonia Simpfendorfer

Photographer: Marie-Luise Skibbe / @marieluises

From the Interior Designer: "Pioneering modernist architect Robin Boyd’s most visible work in Melbourne is his Domain Park Flats building in South Yarra, which is a 20-story landmark residential tower. We were hired to undertake a contemporary update of one of the coveted apartments. With many of the original features lost or compromised, our aim was to find ways to get back to the essential character and simplicity of the spaces, while avoiding any retro cliches. Our interventions included transforming the entry experience to improve flow and create a visual link to the treetops of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Fawkner Park beyond, while a slight reduction in bathroom size created a more generous and user-friendly corridor. An overall palette of subtle warmth is punctuated with the vivid orange of liberated pipework, a move that reinstates Boyd’s original proportions, answers statutory needs, and brings a playful and deliberate nod to 1960s design. Removing the awkwardly placed bulkheads, we exposed and highlighted the metal pipework, reinstating the original spatial proportions of the rooms."