Lighting Liveable Zones With MRTN Architects

THE OLD ADAGE OF THE WORST HOUSE IN THE BEST STREET COULD HAVE ONCE BEEN APPLIED TO GABLE END HOUSE IN MELBOURNE’S BAYSIDE SUBURB OF ST KILDA. BEFORE ITS WELL-CONSIDERED TRANSFORMATION BY ANTONY MARTIN OF MRTN ARCHITECTS, THE ORIGINAL 1980S RED BRICK HOUSE WAS AN ANOMALY IN A STREETSCAPE OF HERITAGE-LISTED FEDERATION AND ART DECO HOMES.

While the exterior was reinvented to reference the gable-end treatments characteristic of the neighbourhood, the interior was given new life through the thoughtful use of lighting.

Martin’s clients were initially keen to demolish the house and build from scratch, but the home had good bones and a front-to-rear renovation could solve their concerns at a lower cost and a lighter carbon footprint. The house now has a visual connection to the streetscape as well as light-filled living spaces and retreats for a growing family.

The two-storey structure was brought into scale with the neighbouring houses by enclosing the upper level with dark stained battens and finishing the ground floor brick with a textured render. The triangular forms and vertical striping of the traditional gable-end home are also explored and referenced throughout the interior.

Lighting was crucial to creating a variety of zones within the house. “The general approach to lighting was to treat the front of the house or more formal areas with a subdued lighting scheme,” Martin explains. “At the rear of the house or family living spaces the approach was for a highly day-lit non-glaring light.”

A low pendant casts light over the dining table at night while a skylight brightens the space during the day. Strip LEDs in the cathedral ceiling in the back living room create an even light within the large space. “Attention is drawn to the sculptural chandelier in the space with all general lighting provided by concealed sources,” says Martin. “Likewise, in the outdoor dining area, diffused light through a translucent polycarbonate roof is complemented by cleverly concealed strip lights coordinated with the batten ceiling.”

Now one of the finest houses in one of the best streets, Gable End House is a clever reimagining of an existing home that complements the streetscape and the beautifully lit interior provides the perfect haven for this growing family.

LIGHT SOLUTIONS

• Lighting cleverly used to create a      variety of living zones

• Formal areas receive subdued      lighting scheme

• Family living spaces receive      natural, non-glaring light

• Cleverly concealed strip lights      help to create diffused lighting in outdoor dining area