The kitchen island is an incredibly crafted feature of River House, with a combination of stones, forged in opposing curved forms. The custom Volker Haug pendant light overhead offers a metallic synergy to the almost fully stainless kitchen, accompanied by the Mater High stool.
Balancing traditional, decorative elements with new, ornate details – River House by Fiona Lynch Office is equal parts innovative and measured in its approach.
There is a painterly quality to River House, a renovation to a period home in South Yarra, Melbourne (Naarm) by Fiona Lynch Office. So, it’s not surprising to learn that Lynch used her expert touch to transform the home using a “technique of chromatic abstraction”, an artistic method that adopts colours to instil outlines and definition throughout the spaces.
While the home feels decidedly modern, its heritage is equally celebrated. The original home is a 1930s Georgian Revival Residence by architect Marcus Martin. Martin created it with an eye to craftsmanship, collaborating with local artisans—a concept that deeply resonates with Lynch.
Colour and materials are layered and diluted in a judicious fashion. Tones of softened aquamarine, silvery grey and dusty pinks carry across expanses of walls to swathes of stone and soft furnishings. An articulated panel of gentle blue wraps the new banquette seat, highlighting its new insertion following the removal of the wall. This newfound connection is one of many major moves by Lynch to reformulate the floor plan, opening up the spaces for a contemporary way of living.
An undeniable hero of this home is the extensive use of stone and its utterly unique detailing. The kitchen island is forged in an amalgam of Zena travertine from Artedomus and Tugela marble from Signorino, with opposing horizontal and vertical planes, joined by deep-set bullnose edges.
The bathrooms are similarly treated with statement basins, echoing the form of the kitchen island. With an addition of floor-to-ceiling stone patchwork. “Further exploring the theme of chromatic abstraction to unify the home, we incorporated the way Italians handle the attrition of time by patching damaged stone with different coloured or patterned stone when they can’t find a match,” Lynch explains.
The new breakfast nook is highlighted through Lynch’s “chromatic abstraction” with aquamarine walls that wrap the corner. Gubi Epic dining table; PP225 Flag Halyard lounge chair by Hans Wegner for PP Møbler; Roattino floor lamp by Eileen Gray for ClassiCon; Out to Sea (2020) artwork by Gregory Hodge from Sullivan+Strumpf; Galerie MCDE Fly wall lamp; Larval Body 02 sculpture by Jeremy Blincoe from Oigåll Projects.
The sculptural Cassina Dudet chairs.
The downstairs powder room shimmers with a pastel pastiche quartzite, which also spills out to the bottom two stairs. “Our redesign of the staircase replaces a wrought-iron balustrade with a sculpted curve finished in polished plaster, and two steps (one featuring a carved radius to invite ascent) feature lavender-hued quartzite that also clads the neighbouring powder room’s walls with an amethyst glow,” Lynch says. The Magente quartzite (from Artedomus) on the stairs marries comfortably to the Angus White painting hanging in the foyer.
In addition to wanting to open up the living zones – achieved through the insertion of a Mies Van Der Rohe-inspired glass pavilion – the clients also requested a home office and an intimate wine cellar. The concept of chromatic abstraction plays out in the transition to the cellar where olive green doors demarcate entry into the privacy of the adult quarters.
Other details create the finishing touches to the canvas of this home. Original decorative details, such as the fireplace mantels and window architraves have been unified with what Lynch describes as a “subliminal white”. The original ornate skirting boards have been replaced with discrete but textured oak woodgrain panels, where the mismatched grains and oversized height speak to the sentiment of craft.
Furnishings have been selected for their spirit of enduring quality and artisanship. The statement pendant light over the kitchen island bench is a custom piece by Melbourne-based designer Volker Haug, iconic Shiro Kuramata dining chairs add unexpected flair.
River House is a home of creative expression with a respectful take on heritage. Fiona Lynch Office has sculpted a family home that is at once modern, while infusing and celebrating its traditional past.
A new glass pavilion extension connects out to the garden, with a distinct architectural reference to Mies Van Der Rohe. The space features Vitrocsa Sliding doors, Gogan sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso; S chair by Tom Dixon for Cappellini; Röthlisberger Bank Plus bench/coffee table; Sika Design ottoman; curtains in Helki by Designs of the Time from James Dunlop Textiles; custom plinth by Fiona Lynch; sculpture by artist unknown.
The wine cellar features the De Sede DS-800 armchair and the Serge Mouille Applique Araignée 5 Brass Fixes pendant lamp.
The bottom two stairs have been refashioned in Magente quartzite from Artedomus, beautifully complementing the Angus White painting and composing a welcoming entrance in the foyer.
The Flos Snoopy table lamp and Herman Miller Eames Management chair in the study.
The Lumina Daphine Terra Led lamps in the bedroom.
