The joinery was deliberately not taken to the ceiling out of respect for the cornices, while the classic Artedomus Selenis marble lines the floor, fireplace, kitchen island and benchtops. The space features tiles from Academy Tiles, MISS 1 LED pendant by Davide Groppi, Brodware Manhattan mixer and artwork by Greg Wood.
The custom cabinetry in the kitchen is a signature detail in Hecker Guthrie’s work, produced by LNP Schade Cabinets, with steel shelving produced by M&T Allison Steel Fabrication.
An East Melbourne home contemplates legacy through an equally sensitive and contemporary design intervention.
When interior design studio Hecker Guthrie were approached by the owners of a two- level inner Melbourne townhouse, they immediately struck a chord with their wish to tread lightly. Well-versed in historic home revivals, Hecker Guthrie co-director Paul Hecker says they resonated with the homeowners’ desire to understand the building – and the gentle mark they wanted to leave on it. “It’s an important building that grounds the corner; it deserved to be treated well,” Paul says.
The dining area features a dining table by De La Espada for Studioilse, Zig Zag chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld and 7 Fauteuil Tournant chair by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina, ceramic bird sculpture, bowl and vessel by Lauren Joffe and Moon pendant light by Davide Groppi.
The townhouse is one of four in a former estate designed in 1864 by Joseph Reed, once home to the first Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Benjamin Benjamin. While there were obvious design elements Hecker Guthrie needed to reinstate and a 1970s addition to unfold, there was enough to tell them exactly what had been there. “It wasn’t a matter of guesswork. Skirtings, mouldings – we embraced it all,” Paul says. “It was a ballet between getting the function of the house to work for the owners without minimising the history in any way,” he adds.
Hecker Guthrie took the arched motif from the home’s windows and heightened this language, creating a clear distinction between the inserted and the existing. Doors were removed from the entranceway, and new archways opened up the space between the dining room, living room and lobby. “The rooms aren’t huge,” Paul says, “But the archways exaggerated the ceiling height and scale – this is where you create grandness.” Artedomus Selinis marble used in the bathroom and kitchen also signifies the dance between heritage and contemporary relevancy. “It’s a classic marble; not overly decorative, very singular in its materiality, and calming,” Paul maintains.
The living room features the B&B Italia Tufty-Time sofa by Patricia Urquiola, TMBO lounge chair by Magnus Læssøe Stephensen, De Le Espada Kim Nest by Luca Nichetto, vintage Lunario coffee table by Cini Boeri for Knoll, Halcyon Lake rug and CATHODE pendant by Davide Groppi.
The kitchen isn’t a typical cook’s kitchen; it’s designed as the hub of the home but more like a bar. Paul describes the space as a joy to design for this reason, where the homeowners greet and host guests rather than prepare food.
Moments of colour, such as the yellow cabinet in the dining room, are calculated and deliberate. “Colour is so arbitrary. That’s what I love about design – when it’s serendipitous and you know it’s the right choice in the moment,” Paul says. “Because it’s not an entire room, you get to have fun.”
Upstairs, a rich forest green envelopes the bedroom and mezzanine study. Green is a colour Hecker Guthrie treat as more of an ‘earthy neutral’, creating a distinct nighttime space in the home. The bedroom also speaks to the Scandinavian and Japanese design influence in Hecker Guthrie’s work. “It’s not that I’m directly drawn to those countries for their aesthetic, but more to the design history, the intent and the feeling,” Paul explains.
An appreciation for history, intent and feeling are woven into the fabric of the East Melbourne Residence. “I love that there are layers of the different people that have lived there,” Paul reflects. “But also that there’s a clear defining point at which you can say that is not original, that is Hecker Guthrie,” he adds. “You can see where we start and stop.”
This feature originally appeared in est magazine issue 51: Design Voices.
“Colour is so arbitrary. That’s what I love about design – when it’s serendipitous and you know it’s the right choice in the moment.”
– PAUL HECKER
The upstairs bedroom with a mezzanine study and focal spiral steel staircase is cloaked in a rich forest green to feel like a nighttime zone. The space also features the Tufty bed by Patricia Urquiola, Cassina LC14 Tabouret Cabanon Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 1952, Baxter Blade table lamp and Halcyon Lake rug.
The main bathroom is designed around the original fireplace and cornices, featuring a new-age interpretation of the claw bath by Agape – and a custom Artedomus Selenis marble vanity with an Agape basin and mirror. Brodware tapware, an RBW Dimple wall sconce, the Jove coffee table by Draga & Aurel and an Arno Declercq Four Legs stool also feature in this space.
