Littlewood

Location: Hampton
Completed: 2023
Photography: Sean Fennessy
Styling: Marsha Golemac

This four-bedroom family home typifies InForm’s architectural design philosophy – simplicity of form, material restraint and considered detailing. Unique and crafted details give the project its identity, including corbeled brick wall nibs and formed concrete lintels.

The subtle use of concrete contrasts elegantly with the monochromatic walls and garage door, while anodised aluminium window frames and galvanised steel completes the natural external material palette. Slender steel pergolas frame the entry path and provide protection to the north facing living spaces, including a generous entertaining terrace overlooking the pool.

Arranged according to a strict rectilinear geometry, the ground floor planning promotes garden vistas and seamless circulation around a central stairwell pod, articulated in dramatic burgundy timber panelling. The entry is via a large side porch that accesses a North facing open plan living space to the rear and a lounge that addresses a courtyard garden to the front.

The ground floor also accommodates a generous study, powder room and double garage, with utility spaces on the blind side of the central pod.
The first floor accommodates all the bedrooms, including the main bedroom with a Romeo and Juliet balcony facing the street. A kid’s Rumpus area is separated from the hallway by a joinery pod for extra storage and a TV screen.

The interior was designed in close collaboration with the client, a prominent Melbourne interior designer, and combines timeless simplicity with bold materiality and colourful flourishes. Dramatic elements include the deep red marble island bench that grounds the kitchen, while the powder room is layered with light pink stone, waxed plaster (to match the front door) and Moroccan tiles, creating a theatrical yet spa-like space. The light grey walls throughout create a calm ambience, while select natural materials bring colour and warmth into the space without being overpowering.