Middle Park Residence by Conrad Architects.

In Melbourne’s inner bayside suburb Middle Park, this luxe, understated heritage reinvention by Conrad Architects is not only sympathetic to the home’s original features, the heritage has inspired the new build too.

Balancing the artful and the restrained is the hallmark of Conrad Architects and its principal Paul Conrad, and this single-fronted Edwardian home is another such example of the architect’s modern interpretations of heritage detailing. Reimagined with inventive spatial planning, a second-story addition adds a layer of quiet luxury conveyed through craft and materiality.

With a seamless connection between new and old, this home accommodates a growing family within three bedrooms, formal and informal living, kitchen with scullery, laundry, study and rear garage with studio.

Throughout the new build, Conrad Architects reimagined original features like arched ceiling cornices, hallway arches and feature window frames as contemporary interpretations. As visitors cross the threshold past restored tessellated tiles and exterior tuck-pointed brickwork, a view line through the home opens to reveal layers of old to new. Grey timber chevron flooring adds to the seamless transition between the two.

At the front of the home, a grand arched doorway reveals a sanctuary-like master suite with striking vaulted ceiling. Adding to the sense of ethereal escape, a vast circular pendant by Viabizzuno is suspended overhead. An adjoining ensuite and walk-in robe by Poliform speak to the luxurious appointment – an arched entryway leads past bronze glass wardrobe doors to a luxe bathing amenity in marble.

At the midpoint of the home stands a sculptural stair marking the junction between new and old. Its poetic curve harmonises with the flow of a sculpted ceiling above, as if the two were carved in one swift motion. This sense of movement is heightened by ribbons of light from the adjacent central courtyard, itself a device for providing connection between the indoors and out.

A garden at the rear of the home serves a similar purpose, connecting the open-plan kitchen, dining and living with the outdoors via a ‘pergola’ structure that extends across a paved patio toward the nearby pool and lawn. Custom joinery in the interior living is mirrored in the treatment and detailing of the outdoor BBQ – the seamless flow is integral in maintaining an atmosphere of calming retreat.

With restraint in form, materiality and detailing, Middle Park Residence by Conrad Architects exemplifies timeless quality and design, harnessing the subtle power of texture, form and light to create a sanctuary defined by both past and present.

[Images courtesy of Conrad Architects. Photography by Sharyn Cairns.]