SKY HIGH

Pocket courtyards and provisions for young adults characterise this forward-thinking family home in Malvern.

- CARLI PHILIPS

It seems the tide has shifted: kids once packed and ready to get out of the family home when they hit university or finish school are no longer going anywhere in a hurry. With parents becoming empty-nesters later in life, the long-term view for many architects involves designing self-sufficient spaces all under the same roof. Kathryn Robson and Chris Rak of Robson Rak say that, increasingly, it’s become an upwards trend across their clientele and a big consideration in the homes they are designing. “We’re creating more and more houses that will see the family unit grow into older experiences. Kids aren’t as eager to leave home and move into a 20-person share house anymore. We’re designing for a new generation who are living at home longer,” explains Chris.

With their youngest child still at school and two others completing double degrees at uni, this was especially true for the owners of this home in Melbourne’s leafy Malvern. “We envisage still having children at home for the next decade! We moved in when our kids were in their late teens, so our brief was for a house for that stage of life.” With ample land and clever planning, Kathryn and Chris crafted a floor plan that would enable each child to have their independence, starting with the first-floor bedrooms, each with their own ensuite and large three-metre desks in anticipation of them being used long-term. For further separation, a sliding door gently divides this wing from the master suite. “Our clients wanted their kids to be around, but not on top of them,” says Chris.