When architects design homes for themselves

Take a virtual tour through the homes of six Australian architects, featuring rooftop pools, exposed bathrooms and prefabricated design.

1. The Concrete House

​Located in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong is Feras Gabriel Raffoul’s stunning home.

Currently the director of FGR Architects, Raffoul is also a domestic and commercial builder.

“My main design focus is to start with the full idea then pare it back to the point where I feel it is now ‘right’,” Raffoul says.

Employing minimalistic ideals in its use of materials and design, 90 per cent of the house is made up of concrete and glass, offering a cool feeling during the day and a warm evening atmosphere. 

“The light penetration though the house with the change of solar movement throughout the day creates different moods,” Raffoul says.

“This is what you design for, and only at the finished product does this get revealed with its full beauty.”

Visible from inside the living room and kitchen through its glass wall, the home’s rooftop pool offers stunning views over Melbourne’s skyline.

The design was commended across three categories at the 2013 Swimming Pool & Spa Association of Victoria awards, recognising the innovation and use of concrete in the urban pool.

2. The Courtyard House

Architect and director of Aileen Sage Architects, Amelia Holliday’s Paddington home was designed in collaboration with her husband, David Lakes, of Lochbuild.

A central garden and series of smaller courtyard spaces are carved from the built envelope, with a planted roof connecting the front and rear of the house.

A palette of sandstone, bagged recycled brick, rendered masonry, off-form concrete and glass references both the original and surrounding built fabric. 

The couple moved into the home in early 2014 in time for the arrival of their child, Aoife.

As a core principle, the house has been designed as a robust form that responds to the changing needs of the family over time.

“Consideration has been given to how rooms may be occupied differently throughout the year and over the years,” Holliday says, “as the family expands, children grow and needs change.”

The home recently won the Single Residential Interior award at this year’s Dulux Colour Awards.

3. The New Old House

Director at Plus Architecture, Jessica Liew designed her Melbourne house, nicknamed the “New Old Home”, in 2012.

“The concept of the house literally blends the old in with the new,” Liew says.

“We have carefully combined the roughness yet warmth of an old-world style with today’s modern, sleek, clean-lined approach to create the perfect balance in our home.”

Designed to house her husband and newborn baby, the home features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a library, courtyard and rumpus room.

The concrete slab and internal brickwork act as a heat battery, absorbing daytime winter sun, and slowly releasing stored energy at night.

“The principle of ‘wabi-sabi’ – the beauty of imperfection – was employed and reflects my passion for rawness, honesty and simplicity in design,” Liew says.

The home received a high commendation in the 2013 Think Brick Awards, and was shortlisted in the 2013 Houses Award for New Houses over 200 metres squared.

4. The Prefab House

Bill McCorkell is the architectural director of ArchiBlox – creator of sustainable, modular homes, including his Balaclava home, where he lives with wife Christine and two children.

“We love the area; the people are genuine, the demographic is eclectic and our local strip of shops down Carlisle Street is unpretentious,” McCorkell says.

“We have really endeavoured to capture the essence of the block that we fell in love with, with the park-like setting to the rear garden.”

The home features a raised vegetable patch, a bullnose verandah wrapping around the front facade, and french doors that open out to the front verandah from the main bedroom.

Each room offers an element of surprise contrasted with timeless detail, while exhibiting careful consideration for the existing home’s proportions.

The layout captures every opportunity for external views both through the garden and over the adjoining property roof forms, creating playful and light-filled family areas.

A standout feature is the plywood bookshelf – a custom-made piece by Birdie Workshop.

5. The Dolls House 

Edwards Moore co-director Ben Edwards is the designer of The Dolls House in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

Built in 2013, The Dolls House (dubbed so by neighbours because of the home’s small size) was designed specifically for Edwards’ mother, and currently houses Edwards and his partner.

At only 3.5 metres wide, the low-cost renovation and extension applied was able to transform the worker’s cottage, while retaining the original brick portion of the home.  

Two courtyards provide the interior with a direct connection to the garden, while generating a continuous and connected series of living spaces.

The courtyard walls are designed to ventilate the interior, acting as additional circulation zones and making the open spaces appear as part of the interior.

The result is a home that’s raw, robust and ever-evolving, in line with Moore’s design philosophy.

Established in 2009, the practice was named Designer of the Year at the 2011 Interior Design Excellence Awards, and awarded Emerging Interior Designers of the year at the Australian Interior Design Awards in 2011.

The Dolls House was awarded a residential design commendation at the 2014 Australian Interior Design Awards.

6. The Kent Road House

The Kent Road project is the home of Bureau Proberts architect Terry McQuillan and his wife in Wooloowin, Brisbane.

Together with his father, McQuillan transformed the formerly humble cottage into a modern home while retaining the character of the original home, built in 1906.

The minimalist preference of the owners is reflected in the design of the joinery and the selection of the simple yet contrasting material palette.

The use of sliding wall panels throughout allows the couple to close off sections of the house when not in use, or to open these up to the outside.

“Now that the rear of the house opens up, it cools down in minutes,” McQuillan says.

“This means the usability has increased because it is cool all over.”

The sliding doors allow the bathroom to open out onto the backyard, literally bringing the outdoors in.

The couple’s cat, Mishka, was also an important driver for the home’s design. Often seeing Mishka  sitting on the staircase of their former home, McQuillan  was inspired to build windows low into the internal staircase for the cat to watch the world go by.