Settled within a graffiti-covered laneway in the trendy heart of Mt Lawley you will find this four-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The owners; a young professional couple wanted to build a raw, dark industrial oasis that made use of every inch of the small lot. Amenities aplenty, they wanted their home to complement the urban inner-city lifestyle of the area. One of the biggest challenges for Limitless on this project was the small lot size & limited access. Loading materials on-site via a narrow laneway required careful coordination and a well thought out strategy. Paramount in bringing to life the client’s vision was the mixture of materials throughout the home. For the second story elevation, black Weathertex Cladding juxtaposed against the white Sto render creates a bold contrast. Upon entry, the room opens up into the main living and entertaining areas of the home. The kitchen crowns the family & dining spaces. The mix of dark black Woodmatt and bespoke custom cabinetry draws your attention. Granite benchtops and splashbacks soften these bold tones. Storage is abundant. Polished concrete flooring throughout the ground floor blends these zones together in line with the modern industrial aesthetic. A wine cellar under the staircase is visible from the main entertaining areas. Reclaimed red brickwork can be seen through the frameless glass pivot door for all to appreciate — attention to the smallest of details in the custom mesh wine rack and stained circular oak door handle. Nestled along the north side and taking full advantage of the northern sun, the living & dining open out onto a layered alfresco area and pool. Bordering the outdoor space is a commissioned mural by Australian illustrator Matthew Yong, injecting a refined playfulness. It’s the perfect ode to the street art culture the laneways of Mt Lawley are so famous for. Engineered timber flooring flows up the staircase and throughout the rooms of the first floor, softening the private living areas. Four bedrooms encircle a shared sitting space creating a contained and private zone for only the family to unwind. The Master bedroom looks out over the graffiti-covered laneways bringing the vibrancy of the outside in. Black stained Cedarwest Squareline cladding used to create a feature bedhead complements the black timber features throughout the rest of the home. Natural light pours into every bedroom upstairs, designed to reflect a calamity as one appreciates the hustle of inner city living outside its walls. Smart wiring links each living space back to a network hub, ensuring the home is future proof and technology ready. An intercom system with gate automation at both the street and the lane provide security and the ability to offer guests access from the comfort of their living area. Every aspect of this sophisticated home was carefully considered and executed. Its final form; a modern, inner-city industrial sanctuary with its roots firmly grounded amongst the vibrant urban culture of its surrounds.

GOLD Laguna Pools

Charcoal mosaic tiles give a beautiful turquoise colour to the water with flamed granite steps and coping stones and limestone paving on terrace

A Neptune Pools Original design. Small concrete family pool (7m x 3.5m) with white tiled interior, Anston Bondi paving and Eco Clancy wall panelling. Rear wall render colour monument. Planting consists of Ornamental Pears with Agave underplanting. Photography by Tim Turner.

Outdoor pool which can be seen from open plan living, dining and kitchen interior spaces.

A well-planned design was instrumental to achieving this stunning landscape in Oakleigh East, combined with bespoke materials and a top-of-the-line spa. Individual elements were carefully constructed to complete the ultimate outdoor entertainment area, but a strong native theme runs throughout the project to pull it all together. The sprawling ironbark deck overlooks a gum tree filled reserve and boasts an impressive bar bench custom made from a reclaimed 1920’s ironbark beam with original posts and fittings. A large ironbark shelter has been constructed for the BBQ/smoker and is clad in leaf patterned laser cut screens. More screens are found behind the outdoor shower and throughout the garden which illustrate stencils of flora and even a playful platypus. Two outstanding features of the entertainment area are the custom round hydrotherapy mineral plunge pool and mirroring stone paved fire pit seating area. They sit next to each other like yin and yang, capturing the complementary beauty of natural elements – fire, water, stone, wood. Steps lead down to a pretty kitchen garden, set within steppers, pebbles and creeping plants in the lower area which is concealed from most other areas of the landscape. A strategic garden lighting system brings the project to life at night. It highlights the features in the garden and creates a beautiful and inviting view from inside the house, tempting you out to enjoy the space all year long.

The brief for this large garden, was to transform an existing old swimming pool and update the garden spaces around it, bringing it up to date with the contemporary architecture of the house. The feature of the garden is undoubtably the magnificent Jacaranda that is incorporated into the design with a simple timber deck flush with the pool coping. Dark turquoise pool tiles show the tree beautifully reflected. Simple green boundary planting with dark coloured perimeter fencing create a soft moody palette. The addition of a Dragon Tree at the end completes the composition. A generous undercover entertaining area is located off the house with built in BBQ at one end. The success of this family garden design, pool and entertaining area is due to the careful selection of and minimal use of surfaces and materials so that the existing tree and pool shine.

Landscape design & construction by Bayon Gardens // Photography by Tim Turner

LLuís Casals

© Adolfo Gosálvez Photography

Frameless Pool fence and glass doors designed and installed by Frameless Impressions