Starting with a patchwork of mismatched renovations that had ballooned over the years, Verdant Residence has been unpicked and stitched back together for a couple who love to cook.
In partnership with Gaggenau.
Led by Principal Miriam Fanning, the transformation of this inner-city Melbourne heritage home balances the original character with new contemporary refinement. Under the expert eye of Mim Design, the residence offers a calm, tactile aesthetic that connects more meaningfully to the natural surrounds.
Reinstated period details and a unified spatial logic support the clients’ current stage of life. “We embraced a refined and cohesive language across interior, exterior and landscape settings, while offering a respectful nod to the property’s Victorian heritage,” Fanning says.
Central to the redesign is the kitchen – a high-use area that has been reoriented to embrace garden views and morning light. The planning here goes down to the minutia of daily life, driven by both aesthetic clarity and day-to-day functionality. Working within the home’s narrow footprint, the design team created an open plan kitchen and living area that flows breezily from indoors to out. Glass-framed steel doors open the space to a lush garden outlook – a reinforcement of calm repose.
A floating section of the island bench introduces craftsmanship but practicality – keep features that repeat throughout the home.
“The appliances steered our design philosophy to create a seamless, elegant and pared back design with detail that mirrored the equipment,”
-Miriam Fanning, principal of Mim Design.
The kitchen is linear in its form, with Sky White Dolomite setting the base alongside warm timber veneers and WOODCUT timber flooring, and unified by the simplicity of Gaggenau appliances. Also pictured: Cassina 410 Cab stools.
Functionality is paramount in a kitchen. At Verdant Residence, every millimetre has been considered. From the ergonomic layout to the appliance selection, each decision supports the rhythm of everyday life and entertaining. Fanning notes that, “Our client – a former Gaggenau cook – immediately made the choice to select this product for not only its functionality but also its enduring aesthetic”.
Gaggenau’s streamlined, handle-free appliances are designed to sit flush within the joinery, enhancing the kitchen’s sculptural quality. The Sky White dolomite benchtops play against the subdued silver finishes of the appliances, creating a balance between warmth and precision. “The appliances steered our design philosophy to create a seamless, elegant and pared back design with detail that mirrored the equipment,” Fanning adds.
To one side of the island bench, a sculpted timber leg introduces a crafted detail that echoes the home’s Victorian lineage. It also adds a place for perching and gathering in the kitchen, mimicking the craftsmanship of the fluted edge stone details throughout. These elements work together to elevate the everyday – function and beauty held in delicate tension.
The client selected Gaggenau’s 400 series Combi-Steam Oven (76cm), 400 series Oven (76cm), and Warming Drawer early in the design process. Taking cues from the appliances’ clear design language, Mim Design extended the same pared-back aesthetic throughout the rest of the kitchen.
“The Gaggenau pieces within this space work hard,” says Mim Fanning, Principal of Mim Design. Featured on the benchtop is the Gaggenau Full surface Induction Cooktop 400 series (frameless).
A kitchen is one of the most hard-working spaces in a home, as such the team has ensured that the appliances are integrated with ease – ultimately elevating the whole. “From featured ovens to integrated flush finished cooktops, the Gaggenau pieces within this space work hard. Our client has become an expert in all the features of this equipment creating memorable moments through entertaining,” Fanning shares.
Verdant Residence is a distillation of past and present. Under Mim Design’s direction, heritage and contemporary exist in tandem. “Great design should not only look beautiful – it should be incredibly functional to exist comfortably within a home and stand the test of time,” Fanning confirms.
Pictured: The Tacchini Pigreco chairs designed by Tobia Scarpa.
