“We had an instant synergy with our client,” Fiona Lynch remembers. “They are passionate about design, craftsmanship and gardens.” The Australian interior designer created this three-bedroom apartment located in St Kilda — 6 kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s Central Business District — for a couple who lives in a country home in the Macedon Ranges, in Central Victoria. He is in advertising TV production and she is a landscape designer. With their busy working lives, they both often need to be in Melbourne so they wanted their compact apartment transformed into a relaxed, detailed and private living space.
Nestled in a 1990’s concrete apartment block with a brutalist aesthetic, the project is spread over 150 square meters — including a 20-square-meter balcony. “Our approach was to soften the architecture by creating gentle, inviting spaces through light materials and soothing colour,” Lynch says. “The interior serves a dual purpose. It allows the couple to entertain in a vibrant space while maintaining a quiet sense of repose for rest and relaxation.”
Light oak floorboards lighten the south-facing space and contrast with rich walnut while the bold figured stone is balanced with polished plaster walls in a soft white. “The couples beloved labradoodle Bruno is a perfect golden shade,” Lynch says. “We were inspired by his coat when choosing the wheat coloured silk rug which he unsurprisingly adores sleeping on.”