Modern Exploration Of Space
The Age
Wednesday June 14, 2006
Katherine Townsend discovers a clever, stylish design in St Kilda East.
A HUNDRED years ago, when workers' cottages were being built in Young Street, St Kilda East, owners were lucky if their new houses comprised two bedrooms, a small living room and an outdoor toilet.A century later, new residents are filling the street with cleverly designed modern houses that contain much more. This house, designed five years ago by Middle Park firm Holan Joubert, has an abundance of spaces that earlier residents could not have imagined.On a relatively shallow, single-fronted block, the house has a music room, library, study, large sunny living area, ensuite, family bathroom, powder room, off-street parking, two courtyards and two or three bedrooms. And all of this comes with a degree of style obvious from the front gate: the facade is mostly glass with a central timber door. It is a smart, timeless look that also has a vaguely Japanese style in keeping with the private front courtyard and garden.The front door leads directly into the full-width living area, which has a brick feature wall and large open fireplace. Honey-coloured timber floors run across the width of the room and through to the kitchen at the rear, which adjoins, through a glass door, a music room created from an atrium. With light coming from the second-floor windows, the room is a small sanctuary - looking out into the living area.The rest of the ground floor is made up of a powder room, bathroom, large laundry and two bedrooms at the rear of the house overlooking the large rear courtyard. One bedroom has been designed more as a study, with a nook for a desk, and opens to the rear courtyard.On the way upstairs, ladder-like steps appear on the right. At the top of these is a light-filled library, lit by the same overhead windows that light the music room. It's not a huge area but it is another interesting space in a house filled with areas to discover.The main stairs continue to the sunny upstairs bedroom, which has windows facing north and east. The eastern windows have three panels. The top is clear glass, the middle is frosted glass and the lower level is clear. So, if you are wandering around your bedroom with no clothes on - the neighbours might see your head and feet but the rest is carefully screened by frosted glass. Obviously, new buyers who want to screen and display different areas of themselves could rearrange these windows to suit.16 Young StreetSt Kilda East Agent's quote $580,000-plusAuction noon Saturday, July 22 through Biggin & Scott, Toorak, 9828 4500Inspect as advertisedMelway 58 E10
© 2006 The Age