An Architectural Mid Century Modern Inspired Renovation! Full House Tour

Hi guys, Lucy here from Hunting for George. Today I am in oh-so-trendy Fitzroy North and I have a very enviable family home for us to explore. It's time to let us in. There is a whole lot of action at the back of this home but we are going to start first at the front. So we come through into the main bedroom. Looking out onto the front of the property, beautiful touch of greenery here and this is Smudge, our official host for the day. I've told him just to relax, chill out. I'll do most of the heavy lifting. And through here there's a really generous walk-in robe and it also has its own cheeky ensuite. So another bedroom here, one of the kids bedrooms, a bit of a sports fan. A third bedroom for one of the kids. We've got a bit of a music vibe happening in here so it might be a good opportunity for me to do my rendition of Wonderwall. Just kidding, don't know how to use this thing. Okay, we step into the main bathroom and I love the feeling in here. I really love this treatment with this oversized tile on the floor wrapping halfway up the wall and also the way it wraps this vanity, that dual sink. It's got a great feeling with that pool of light coming from the skylight and it tucks around here as well into a nice hidden shower component which I really like the way they've hidden that from view. Also a great touch with that lighting going the full width of this room. Through here we have another separate room. So this is a music room and also a study. Great to have the ability of an extra room to kind of shut the door away and get some work done. A compact laundry through here and it's quite functional as well. They've really maximized their storage. There's literally storage everywhere which you're going to continue to see throughout this home. And this is storage of a different nature. Very impressive wine cellar. I really like the way they've got this mirrored detailing. It adds a great depth to it. Might have to visit this room a little bit later in the tour. But guys, this is sensational. We're now in the heart of the home. I love the light that's coming from those windows and doors. This delicate linear pendant brings up a really beautiful light on this hand-troweled concrete bench top. There is walnut veneer cabinetry. It's quite a modernist feeling here. Very simple, classic, and just very functional. There is a great skylight detail and it's raining right now which actually brings a beautiful texture to the space. And speaking of texture, just the tiles have got a beautiful tone to them. Very, very functional throughout. And tucking behind here, we have a pantry. So they've hidden this away. It's a neat touch. They've got their appliances through here and a good nut collection. I really like this burnished concrete floor treatment and how this curves around bringing you into this family lounge. My God, this has got such a great feeling in here. I love everything about it. This built-in lounge, the varying timber, ceiling, walls, and also the joinery. It's such a great aspect looking onto that fireplace. And guys, we've got vinyl. We've got to play some vinyl. What I love most about this room is that it does have the option to open itself up to the outside. It's a bit of a miserable Melbourne day today, let's be honest, but I do still want to show you how this opens up. Forgive the rain. That's just got an incredible feeling to it, that corner opening all the way onto this really generous backyard. It makes for quite a transitional space because the fact that you can pull that across, make this really cozy for those winter months, but otherwise open it up completely in the summer. Beautiful. I love the way this staircase looks. It's so strong and geometric, those forms with the timber against the white, and also a clever little study nook here, maximizing the space. How good. Every single one of those panels opens up. It's such great use of space. The fact that you can hide away vacuum cleaners, it's just very smart and makes perfect use of that under staircase cavity. All right, we're going up. We've entered into the kids' retreat here, so we've got a secondary lounge, which is very much dedicated for the kids. Another great skylight, but also there's so much light through here with this incredible door. This is a sweet little touch. I love this perforated steel detail, just a small pop of a balcony. Great to bring in all that airflow, beautiful light. I would step out there, but guys, it's raining pretty heavy right now. Let's keep going. And this is the girl's bedroom, which, just quietly, she's done very well. Clearly, she's the favorite. Just kidding. I don't want to cause too much drama. A great aspect here though, the way that this looks out onto the tops of the trees. A similar treatment with the storage that we saw underneath the stairs, just maximizing this entire space all the way up to the top cabinets as well. And she gets her very own ensuite. I really like the feeling here. It's a very simple palette, similar but a slightly different application to what we saw downstairs. I really like this arch detail with the mirrored cabinet. Very simple and sweet sink and vanity, a great use of the space. You can also catch a great window detail here at the top of the stairs, looking out across the rooftops. I think it's a red wine kind of day. So this home is known as North Fitzroy Residence, and it was designed by Dan Gafer and Lewis Marash, the architectural and interior designers behind True Story. Before they even started designing this renovation, Dan and Lewis set out to understand the nuances of the family's everyday life, both right now and in the future. The homeowners have lived in this double-fronted Victorian for over 15 years, and because of its highly coveted location, they were very happy to stay put and renovate and make sure it was viable long-term. The initial brief was to add a living space, bedroom, bathroom, music room, and wine cellar, and all of this needed to remain within the existing building footprint so they didn't lose any of their much-loved garden. And what was equally important to creating space for the family to gather was also to find privacy and to create space for them to do their own thing when needed. The original front four rooms and the hallway were retained, and the rest of the house was removed to provide a blank canvas for the design. However, the steel structural component of the roof that previously covered the outdoor retreat was retained and employed as the structure of the new family room. That fantastic bedroom and compact ensuite, plus the generous-sized retreat, allows the space for the kids to escape to upstairs with their friends without disrupting whatever the adults are doing below. And what are the adults doing below? Well, I reckon they're probably hanging out in that damn fine lounge behind me. I love the feeling of that room. With its mid-century-inspired interior and palette of warm earthy tones, it really doubles down on timber with that custom-built-in lounge, black-butt walls, ceiling, and joinery. And this set-down lounge has an incredible nostalgic feel, helped by that inclusion of the vinyl record player in the corner and the way it orientates towards that central wood fire. The curved burnished concrete flows towards the kitchen with black-butt timber veneer cabinetry and hand-troweled concrete benchtop. It's a very refined approach in the kitchen, focusing on simplicity and functionality. The skylight serves to open up that space a bit more, which is in contrast to that more cozy family room. And I loved the aspect within the kitchen that looked back towards the staircase with all of that maximized storage and that hidden study nook. The staircase itself brings such a graphic application of timber, creating really clean lines and sharp geometric forms with that high contrast against the white walls and the white joinery and also that white balustrade. Again, it's those little design details that bring unique charm and a surprise factor to this home. The bathroom and ensuite both share a calm and restrained palette of fresh white and gray, but apply these with subtle differences in each. That main bathroom has a really bold duo tone, more of that graphic statement that Dan and Lewis never shy away from, while the ensuite is light and bright, amplifying its compact nature. The steel external structure that was existing is a strong element of that rear extension. It's quite impressive looking back towards the house and to see how they frame that outdoor entertainment area and also bringing your attention towards that perforated steel balcony that hovers above. It's very clear that this is a loved and lived in home that has been designed with a deep understanding of the family's day-to-day life. It's genuine and authentic design understates its cool factor. It doesn't shout or try too hard, but instead just consistently impresses you with subtle details and surprise moments, ultimately leaving you feeling very relaxed and maybe a little bit envious. Thanks for watching, guys. I hope you enjoyed this home tour. Let me know what you thought in the comments below and be sure to like and subscribe. We've got plenty more home tours coming your way.