TURNING CIRCLE

A stately residence and contemporary pavilion have been linked via a new cloistered walkway, setting the tone for the heritage-meets-modern style to follow.

- CARLI PHILIPS

Melbourne design studio Kennedy Nolan have a refreshing take on the value of the pool in residential environments. Their philosophy honours it not just as a means of enjoyment, but also as a body of water that can be celebrated passively from afar in the colder months. At this house in one of Melbourne’s most prestigious inner suburbs, there’s a clever, unobstructed scenic quality to the pool as it runs close to the coping and almost flush to the architecture, making for some walk-on-water optics. It’s a glossy liquid sheet that sets the scene for the owners who access the house through a cloistered walkway that runs along its length.

The residence, restored and upgraded for a couple and their child, is light years away from its 1800s roots and trajectory of alterations. “It was an original Victorian that had been substantially renovated in an Edwardian fashion, with both heritage styles coexisting as one,” recalls practice principal Patrick Kennedy. “It was subject to lots of renovations over the years and was fairly hodgepodge. Everyone had had a crack at it.” In some instances the reproductions and revisions were clear and apparent, but better imitations made it harder to decipher. “We really researched and investigated to try and uncover the clarity of the building and make decisions about various precedents.” The majority of the dwelling, however, was well-preserved and in good, solid condition.