The owner of this heritage art deco house, located in the center of Toorak, wanted to modernize the existing building to suit its current lifestyle while paying homage to its original legacy.

Kitchen

Living Room

Dining Space

Staircase With Original Black Steel Plate Balustrade

Steel Frame and Glass Doors

Main Bedroom

With beautiful garden features, the re-planning of this heritage home involved opening view lines out to the garden to create a connection with landscape, light, and air.

Black Marble Treads

Workshops with the client revealed their enthusiasm for cooking and lead to a designed focus on the kitchen as not just a functional space for cooking but for entertainment and work. The kitchen is arranged for utility but the finishes and detailing speak to a sophisticated and luxurious style that is then carried through the rest of the house.

Living Zone

Kitchen Details

Garden

Swimming Pool

The original curving stair in the entry foyer of the house became a central organizational element. Visible from multiple angles within the house, it draws you from the public spaces on the ground level into the private areas above and to the basement garage. The architects restored the staircase with black marble treads complementing an original black steel plate balustrade. This combination of heritage and luxury elements goes on to inform the interior design of the rest of the spaces, from a renovated ensuite bathroom and sauna with soft dappled light to a darkened and styled whiskey room.

Bathroom

Powder Room

Project by Riofrio Carroll Architects

Photography by Willem-Dirk du Toit