fine balance
A Melbourne couple wanted to build once, and build well, creating a family home with room to grow
Family life is important to Melanie and Mark Goulopoulos. When the couple were looking to move into a larger home to suit their growing brood, there was no doubt that the pair would stay close to the area where they lived together and still have family. Port Melbourne was Melanie and Mark’s first choice, but finding a place that was big enough seemed like a challenge.
Many of the houses in the area were divided into multiple townhouses, but Melanie and Mark were after something new, modern and large. Building was the preferred option, but the pair would need to find a place that wasn’t heritage protected.
In 2013, Melanie started her search and came across a site that ticked all the boxes: it was a large block for the area, had plans and permits ready to go, and it wasn’t under heritage protection. The location was a bonus, too – only a block back from the beach.
While Melanie and Mark had a good idea of what was on their wishlist, the pair sought expert advice to improve on their vision. “We wanted someone who would inspire us to think ahead and push boundaries,” says Melanie. When she and Mark met interior designer Adele Bates, they felt they had met their “pioneer”.
The brief put to Adele was to create a modern home that would grow with the family, incorporating a grey and pastel colour palette, Carrara marble and standout tapware. “Adele helped us put it all together and sourced items we would never have known existed, let alone where to find them,” says Melanie.
Demolishing the existing house and building from scratch gave the couple plenty of freedom. The only caveat was that they had to work within the existing council-approved plans. It also meant that the family was able to start construction work immediately after settlement. Using this aspect to their advantage, Melanie and Mark requested a three-month settlement to allow enough time to appoint a builder – Tony Papadopoulos – and make alterations to the internal layout and external aesthetics of the house with the help of architect Roger Brayshaw from The Design Alliance.
As well as modernising the original plans within the existing footprint, Melanie and Mark opted for fewer but larger rooms. While the plot is just over 300 square metres in size, it’s narrow at just over six metres wide and 50 metres long. “It was fairly tricky fitting everything in and making all of the space count,” says Melanie. The result speaks for itself, with the impressive open-plan kitchen and family area at the back of the house. The layout also fits in a front formal lounge room, three large bedrooms, a study, three bathrooms and plenty of storage. There’s even a studio on top of the garage that is currently used as Mark’s home office, but could easily be a guest bedroom.
“We genuinely love everything about this house,” says Melanie. “But the front room is a standout for us.” It features beautiful pieces – such as the Pietro Russo divider shelving unit and the electric-blue Gärsnäs ‘Kvilt’ sofa from KFive – and represents the future the couple hope to have – one where the adults can chill out or converse while the children hang out with their friends in other parts of the house. For Melanie and Mark, the home that they have created is not just for today but the days to come, too.
For further details on interior designer Adele’s work, visit adelebates.com.au. To see more of architect Roger’s work, go to thedesignalliance.com. Contact builder Tony Papadopoulos on 0422 075 993.