Victoria
Ivanhoe
In Melbourne’s leafy north-east sits a two-storey modular home that is bold yet refined, transforming the way the clients live.
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2017
Year Completed
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5
Bedrooms
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2
Bathrooms
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2
Carport
In need of extra space for their growing family, the clients decided to employ a modular solution for their home rather than move.
The resulting build is open, filled with natural light and beautifully complements its leafy suburban location.
As soon as you enter the home, a double-height entrance space draws the eye up to the circular skylight, which casts light to the open stairs below.
To accommodate the sloping site, the home is terraced down the block with a slight change in levels. This helps to subtly delineate the entrance, the kids’ zone and the communal living area, while the same oak flooring used throughout provides continuity and flow.
Simon, Client“Modscape appealed to us because we could get a very bespoke build. Also, everything was included in the price. We knew exactly what it was going to cost and how long it would take. There were no delays, no worries, and we could go along to the factory in Brooklyn and see the home being built.”
Just beyond the entrance foyer is the heart of the home – a large kitchen.
From the outset, the clients’ brief revolved around this space with the arrangement, layout and finishes all carefully considered. With ample storage space provided in the butler’s pantry, the kitchen is big enough for the whole family to cook, gather and socialise. The hero of the space is the full-height glazing, which captures views into the beautifully landscaped backyard and surrounding trees. Cornerless sliding doors in the dining area provide a seamless transition from inside to out, creating a relaxed, light-filled gathering space with a connection to the external spaces.
Sustainably sourced blackbutt timber, dark-stained timber and Colorbond Diversaclad sit in harmony in this home. Yet it’s when the first-floor timber form starts to curve and becomes a battened screen that the house’s personality really gives way.
As well as striking, this screen is practical too – it provides additional sun shading and privacy, ensuring there are no overlooking issues into the neighbour’s backyard. For the adults, the master suite upstairs offers a peaceful haven, cantilevering out to the garden.
The house includes many active and passive systems to ensure that it functions efficiently. Solar passive heating and cross ventilation, high levels of natural light, double-glazing with thermal break frames, over insulation (like all Modscape homes), a 2,000L rainwater tank, energy-efficient lighting, water-efficient fixtures and reverse cycle heating and cooling alongside a gas fireplace all play a part in minimising the home’s C02 consumption.
Project Specifications
Cladding: Blackbutt, Colorbond Diversaclad (Monument).
Glazing: Black powder-coated frame, thermally broken, low-e double-glazed windows | Flooring: Tongue n Groove Piccolo board (Freado).
Finishes: Nikpol joinery (kitchen & study), Perini Monroe tiles (kitchen splashback), Signorino Monaco tiles (pantry splashback & bathroom wall), stainless steel benchtop & integrated sink; Dekton benchtop (island).
Fixtures: Highland ceramic glass cooktop & built-in oven, IN-TERIA front door handle, Lockwood door hardware, 2,000L rainwater tank, Clean Face gas fireplace, Daikin bulkhead reverse-cycle & split systems.
Credits
Location: Wurundjeri Country, Ivanhoe VIC
Status: Completed 2017
Collaborators: Mud Office, Andy Murray Landscape Design, Enki Pools
Photography: John Madden, Erik Holt
Featured: Design Files, Nelson Alexander, Arch Daily, Dwell Magazine
