Modernism Reinvented

Architect David Flack has honoured the exterior of this 1960s house, while updating the interiors with bold, brave choices

- KARINE MONIÉ

Custom terrazzo tiles from Terrazzo Australian Marble connect both the entrance and the adjoining living room seamlessly.

In the foreground are vintage Bonacina cane chair and table from Angelucci 20th Century and Castorina & Co respectively (opposite page) Philippe Starck’s yellow Boxinbox table for Glas Italia from Space Furniture

The living room features simple, timber-lined ceilings, a sofa from Wood Marsh Architecture, Alvar Aalto 400 Tank chair with zebra fabric by Artek, Red 520 Accordo coffee table from Charlotte Perriand at Cassina, and Ombre rug by Flack Studio that’s made by Halcyon Lake

A rule breaker that respects the art form of interior design”. This is how David Flack, founder and director of Flack Studio, describes this home. Originally built by Michael Feldhagen in 1963 near Melbourne, it was renovated in the 1990s by architect Peter Corrigan while keeping the house intact. Its current owners, an art collecting couple in their fifties with two children in their twenties, desired a bold refresh.

“We hit it off with the homeowners instantly,’” says David. “They gave us a clear brief for function. For the design, however, they were adamant in wanting to give me as much creative freedom as possible.” David reconfigured the floor plan to accommodate a new entry foyer and designed a parents’ wing as an urban retreat. He doubled the size of the kitchen, which is a mash up of striking materials—American oak panelling, bronze handles, Calacatta Viola marble surfaces and an impressive pleated bronze extractor hood.