CONCRETE VISION

Spying the potential in an off-the-plan apartment, Tecture director Ben Robertson manifested his minimalist dream home with ample room to display a burgeoning art collection.

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WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT YOUR HOME? We (my partner Ben Whittaker and I) knew we wanted an apartment in the city and within Melbourne’s Collingwood or Fitzroy area. We had been looking for a small space to call home when we came across a development and thought we would try our luck in asking the developer if we could purchase one of the apartments – on the condition we could alter the floor plan and design the interiors. Purchasing off-the-plan was a little risky, but we were fortunate to be given the green light to make our mark and this gave us the flexibility of achieving an outcome that reflected our vision – and a few material bonuses along the way, such as the concrete floor.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE INTERIOR? Minimalist. For the apartment, we wanted the interior to take on a subtle connection to the exterior palette, while also reflecting a gallery-like space for our art. Collingwood itself is filtered with galleries and creative spaces and we wanted to embody that overall aesthetic.