Gaggenau and Fisher & Paykel appliances are embedded into the black stained oak joinery in the kitchen, featuring the Gaggenau 200 Series gas cooktop and the 200 Series kitchen oven in Anthracite. The also features in the dining area.
For Prahran-based interior design practice AKI Design, their renovation of Alexandra House in South Yarra, Melbourne, captures their cultivated aesthetic and design influences.
The result is a highly functional renovation with a refined material palette and intricately curated interior. “Our clients came to us after having seen another property that [we had] designed,” AKI Design principal director Charis James says, sharing how they wanted this 2013 one-bedroom home to “take its lead from modern architecture and be more versatile through using simple design principles, materials and joinery details”.
Bookmarked Calacatta Machia Vecchia stone forms the kitchen splashback, and the island bench is crafted entirely from the same material.
“The clients wanted to take reference from the home’s European roots and create a Milanese style apartment experience within their new city escape,” Charis says. “We wanted you to enter the home and feel like you could be anywhere in the world,” she adds. The home was designed to be comfortable and cosy while allowing the family to entertain with ease. While the home “is beautiful and curated, nothing [is] to make you feel precious,” Charis explains.
Lining surfaces with highly durable materials that exude sophistication was a central design move. “Honest and raw materials such as the Poppin terrazzo from Fibonacci, Calacatta Machia Vecchia stone from CDK Stone, and black stained oak veneer timber all work together to provide a sophisticated and genuine experience,” Charis says.
The MDF Italia Flow Low table, vintage Tacchini Sesann sofa and Foscarini Fork Dimmer floor lamp in the entry area.
With its primary living space on the ground floor, black steel-framed French doors line the external walls. Estiviam Cream Cloud curtains by James Dunlop span between them, softening the steel framing for privacy. Stretching from the living room through to the kitchen, an entire wall of black stained oak joinery unravels from the living room, housing the TV and library, into the kitchen, where Gaggenau and Fisher & Paykel appliances are embedded into the unit.
But perhaps the most memorable aspect of the project is the Calacatta Macchia Vecchia stone in the kitchen. Not only does a bookmarked set of stone feature across the splashback, but the kitchen island features a sculptural plinth made entirely out of this single material.
With an eclectic mix of vintage European and contemporary pieces, Alexandra House is made complete with Handmade Beni and Halcyon Lake rugs, the De Sede DS-600 sofa and various furniture pieces from designers such as Eileen Gray and Patricia Urquiola that create focal points throughout.
The living room features custom Corbi armchairs from Tigmi Trading. An entire wall of black stained oak joinery houses the TV and library, and spans across the living room and into the kitchen.
The De Sede DS-600 sofa in the living space.
The Bzippy Triple Tier side table in the primary bedroom.
The MDF Italia Sign chair in the outdoor courtyard.
