河屋丨澳大利亚墨尔本丨Fiona Lynch Office

When it comes to interiors that feel utterly luscious, refined but artful, expensive—yes, but fucking cool at the same time, it’s hard to go past the distinctive design language of Fiona Lynch.

Fiona and her team show us, once again, how it’s done in the 1930s Georgian revival residence set in a tranquil riverside pocket of Melbourne‘s South Yarra. This lush project points to Lynch’s ongoing preoccupation with materials, details and sculptural forms as a means of elevating spaces from great to exceptional.

River House pays homage to the progressive spirit of its original architect, Marcus Martin. The design team have skilfully stripped away nearly a century of discordant interventions to reveal and enhance the home’s exquisite original features.

The heart of this renovation lies in the extensive structural changes made to the ground floor which radically reshapes family living. Gone is the warren of small rooms, replaced by an expansive open-plan living area that seamlessly connects with the outdoors. The pièce de résistance is a newly designed glass pavilion, a nod to Mies van der Rohe. This striking addition, crowned with a brass canopy, houses a lounge room and breakfast nook, offering panoramic views of the lush garden beyond.

The generous use of stone throughout the home is nothing short of gobsmacking. The kitchen island, a true work of art, blends bold geometries made from travertine and marble. Its unique form, featuring opposing concave and convex end supports and an upturned half-bullnose surface, adds a touch of elegance that complements the surrounding metallic joinery.

The bathrooms, too, speak to the mastery of stone. The master ensuite has a dual vanity with an upturned curve, while walls are adorned with a high datum of seafoam-hued quartzite. The design team incorporated the Italian approach to stone attrition, patching different coloured or patterned stone in a technique reminiscent of chromatic abstraction in painting restoration.

Throughout the home, there’s a delicate balance between preserving heritage elements and introducing modern conveniences. Original decorative features, such as fireplace mantels and window architraves, have been retained and unified with a subtle white coating. In contrast, contemporary interventions like raw oak door frames and streamlined doors provide a fresh counterpoint to the home’s period charm.

River House is a project that feels both timeless and totally of the moment. It’s the architectural equivalent of having your cake and eating it too—and who doesn’t want that? Exactly!

[Images courtesy of Fiona Lynch Office. Photography by Sharyn Cairns.]