Reigniting Character: Murray Residence in Elsternwick by Pasquale Cook.

Pasquale Cook has reinvented this family home in Melbourne’s Elsternwick. Untouched since the 1990’s, the studio drew on an imaginative selection of materials and introduced details that complement the beauty and personality of the period residence.

Bringing the rear half of the house back to its bones, the layout was reconfigured to deliver a more generous and impactful space, from the living, dining and kitchen areas, informed by the client’s style of living.

Highly textured materials, a soft tonal palette and deft architectural interventions, such as the deliberate lowering of the bulkhead over the kitchen and library wall, worked to create a warm, harmonious quality that didn’t interfere with its airy proportions.

Layering of tactile materials—handmade tiles, custom vellum sconces designed by Pasquale Cook, dark oak veneer and woven cane—reintroduced the character and elegance that had previously run through the home, giving it a sympathetic yet contemporary feel. Walls were painted in a soft dove grey alongside a tonally matching glazed terracotta splashback.

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To balance the generous ceiling height, Pasquale and Cook played with scale throughout the home. Oversized furniture and decorative lighting—such as the Potence wall light by Jean Prouvé, which elegantly reaches across space—explored and capitalised on the living area’s grand proportions and spatial experience.

Ample natural light floods the living area, alongside a view of the pool and garden thanks to new, expansive steel-framed glazing. Even the laundry door adjoining the living room was replaced with a new, steel-framed glazed entrance to introduce more afternoon light into the room.

The bathroom follows the living room’s lead, expertly layering a series of neutrals. The natural finishes including vellum wall lights, an Agape Narciso Mirror, hand-glazed tiles and gauzy linen curtains feel more rugged than sleek. The transformational and refined renovation by Pasquale Cook has revived this period home, reigniting its character through texture and intimacy.

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[Images courtesy of Pasquale Cook. Photography by Lillie Thompson.]