In one of Melbourne’s leafy inner-city suburbs, one period home embraces an experimental addition through the reinterpretation of architectural design codes.
Davis House by AKI Design celebrates the interiors of a Victorian home and intricately links it with a new extension—a progressive design featuring a detachable iron-clad pavilion by Blur Architecture that serves as a new wing to the original home. Drawing on the two architectural eras, the designers crafted a unified language that employs nuanced elements throughout the home, expressed through colour, material forms, and furnishings to create a harmonious flow between the spaces. “Careful material selection and considered detailing were key in softening this connection and ensuring a cohesive, balanced outcome,” AKI Design founder and director Charis James explains.
Working with the client’s love for hosting lively gatherings and intimate evenings, the first two spaces of the Victorian house are dedicated to the music and wine rooms. The homeowner’s fast-paced lifestyle, James says, “influenced the way we designed, creating spaces that catered for his love for entertaining while offering a sanctuary for our client to retreat to after a busy day at the office.” The walls and ceilings of these spaces are coated in a rich chocolate finish, mirrored by the deep stain of the oak floors. Deep-toned, velvety lounges, armchairs, rugs, and custom joinery furnish the rooms, which are gently illuminated by vintage Italian chandeliers.
Featured in the kitchen is the Edra on the Rocks sofa by Francesco Binfare, De Sede DS-515 barstools by Greutmann Bolzern tucked under the kitchen island, and a Volker Haug Oddments chandelier above.
In the kitchen, the viola marble is the centrepiece, sinuously wrapping around the kitchen island, walls, and cabinetry in a monolithic form. The chocolate veins in the stone are accentuated by the aged brass cabinetry, which shares the same rounded shapes complemented by fluted glass, as seen in the music and wine rooms. In the adjoining living room, marble continues to drape the curved entertainment wall and acts as a plinth for the dining room cabinetry.
Referencing the ornate archways of the Victorian era, these curved forms are imprinted in the new steel-and-glass doors in the living areas leading to the pool, including the hallway to the primary bedroom in the home’s new wing. Continuing to blur the lines between the two periods of the house, an artful procurement of furnishings and paintings from the 60s to the present renders a seamless connection.
Designed with sensitivity to its Victorian heritage, Davis House delivers a seamless connection between the interiors of two eras through the reinterpretation of architectural and design codes.
The dining room features an MDF Italia NVL table by Jean Nouvel Design with a set of De Sede DS-515 dining chairs by Greutmann Bolzern tucked under the table, illuminated by Axo Light Urban ceiling lights.
Pictured: the Saba Pixel sofa by Sergio Bicego, a pair of Cassina Utrecht armchairs by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, the Grazia & Co Ivy coffee table by Claire Cousins, the Glas Italia Don Gerrit low table by Jean-Marie Massaud, and a Beni Rugs 008 rug.
Pictured in the hallway is the Exto Green desk by Kiki Van Eijk with a Tigmi Rilievo 05 rug, and ‘Urel’ (2017) by Lev Khesin from Micky’s Art.
Pictured near the staircase is a commissioned artwork by Vicky Lee.
The wine room features a pair of Moroso Redondo small armchairs by Patricia Urquiola with a ClassiCon Bell coffee table by Sebastian Herkner, a custom-designed Bordeaux rug by Nodi Rugs, a vintage Italian 1960s crystal and brass chandelier from Castorina, and custom-designed cabinetry by AKI Design.
Featured in the music and sitting room are the Arflex Marenco sofa and armchairs by Mario Marenco, with the ClassiCon Bow coffee table No. 1 2018 by Guilherme Torres, the Bulle table by Lucas Recchia, a custom-designed forest green rug by Nodi Rugs, and a vintage Italian 1960s crystal and brass chandelier from Castorina.
The bedroom features a custom-designed The Edition bed by Zenn Design and AKI Design, the Pianca Dedalo bedside table, TOOY Gordon 561.31 by Corrado Dotti, a pair of Glas Italia Kooh-I-Noor Specchi mirrors by Piero Lissoni, the B&B Italia Tufty-Time sofa by Patricia Urquiola, and Cultiver bedlinen.
