MELBOURNE HOME

It’s hard to believe that architect Rob Mills’ glamorous yet innovative and sustainable Melbourne abode was once a cardboard factory

A sense of luxury, wellbeing and sustainability in equal measures pervades architect Rob Mills’ glass-roofed house

KITCHEN

This space is an all-sensory experience that exudes luxury from every touchpoint – and reinforces Rob’s ethos that the right combination of materials lays the foundation for memorable decorating schemes.

Bespoke units and worktops, Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors; for a similar brass kitchen, try Roundhouse. Axor Citterio tap, Hansgrohe. Fjord stools, Moroso

‘Handmade objects, art and organic textiles add the finishing touches’

LIVING AREA

With five metre-high sliding windows overlooking leafy parkland, this space is very much at one with nature. It also gives its occupants the feel of being in the treetops.

The brass water feature is fed from an outdoor source and is designed to bring a sense of wellbeing and tranquillity.

Tubino pendant light (above island unit), Viabizzuno. Ray sofa by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia. Danskina Bamboo rug, Hub Furniture. Water feature, Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors

For architect Rob Mills, sustainable design became his modus operandi long before the

concept was adopted by many as a fashionable byword or lifestyle shift. ‘If a space is valued, nurtured and built of durable materials, it will serve for generations to come and form the essence of a sustainable residence,’ he says.

Rob bought his Melbourne home in 2003: a former Victorian cardboard factory in the sought after Armadale suburb. Reminiscent of London’s residential squares, with shared gardens, the streetscape looks out over parkland. ‘Nature is important to me and my designs always co-exist in harmony with it,’ says Rob. The warehouse was bought as a semi-converted residential space: two levels interconnected by a huge void, in places 13 metres high. ‘From ground level you could look up to the treetops,’ says Rob. ‘The luxury of volume and nature is an urban rarity and immediately appealed to me.’

The sheer magnitude of the space inspired Rob to define a layout that preserved the proportions while maximising light, air, sound and privacy. ‘Living here on my own, I formed an acute connection with the building and the redesign, from bachelor pad to family home with my children, was intensely personal. It has become one of the most influential spaces of my entire career,’ says Rob (it was named Best Residential Interior at the 2017 World Interiors News Awards).

The house has been divided into zones, balancing intuitive high-end design with aesthetic beauty and a desire for functionality. Step off the street and you enter through an intimate tunnel-like corridor, which opens into a three-storey cavity with skylights. On the ground floor there is a separate two-bedroom apartment, designed for extended family. The first floor enjoys a capacious open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, with ceilings up to five metres high and lateral windows across the width of the house that allow patterned sunlight to punctuate. ‘Without a garden, this link to nature across the park, urban rooftops and city is priceless,’ says Rob. On the second floor there are two further en-suite bedrooms and a master suite with treetop views.

Throughout there is a sense of understated luxury, brought to life with natural materials, such as the Fior di Pesco Carnico grey-white veined stone floors, sourced from a sixthgeneration quarry in Verona. The pièce de résistance – a bespoke brass kitchen – adds high-octane glamour to the minimalist interior and radiates a golden glow: more modern art installation than domestic hub, yet practical. ‘Brass details are echoed throughout the house on doors, trims, lighting and hardware to create a sense of unity,’ says Rob.

Sustainability and wellness are holistic prerequisites – think passive methods of cooling and heating, natural cross-ventilation, low-e glass, toxin-free natural materials, organic low-voc paints and glues, and a sauna – an everyday, mindful luxury for Rob. An inspiring watercourse, flowing from the exterior throughout the first floor, adds a tranquil vibe: ‘It actively contributes to everyone’s psychological wellbeing,’ says Rob.

‘Our home is a highly liveable, joyous environment, where health, happiness and belonging are priorities,’ says Rob. A sustainable success story and where Rob hopes his legacy and family will continue to flourish for many generations.

DINING AREA

Concrete walls rendered in a velvety stucco finish optimise acoustic privacy and lend a softer look. ‘For me, the shell of a building should always feel masculine, but the spirit of a home should have a feminine touch, achieved with finishes and furnishings,’ says Rob.

Bespoke table, Lowe Furniture. Flow chairs, MDF Italia. Artwork by Ningura Napurrula

MASTER SUITE

Deep brass door frames (left) add a touch of glamour that is followed through into the dressing room (below left). A bespoke curtain follows the curve of the window, highlighting the room’s sweeping ceiling.

Bespoke doors and trims and bespoke dressing room wardrobe, all Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors. Hessian carpet, RC+D. Clip bed, Molteni&c. Utrecht

armchair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina. Bespoke

curtains, D&C Design