Elsternwick House

Winter Architecture in collaboration with Field Office Architecture

Elsternwick House is a contemporary interpretation of a family house on a traditional Victorian terrace streetscape in the suburb of Elsternwick.

In this house, the architecture sits behind the life of the family. It is formally restrained and materially simplistic, carefully considering the architecture’s functional and environmental performance. It is a humble exploration of a social family house where the richness of the design comes through its robust materiality and the simplicity of its plan.

The designers’ shared penchant for minimalism is carefully balanced with a sense of comfort and warmth internally. So too are the client’s aspirations for both a robust family home and a place for refined entertaining. This balance is best expressed through the durable concrete floors and blockwork walls meeting the warmth of the timber ceiling and joinery. The architecture rests on the balance, not the tension, of these moments.

Photography: Nicole England