“We knew we created something really special.”
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Kay & Burton’s Matthew Pillios is guiding $5.7 million to $6.25 million for the property. He says prospective buyers are drawn to the cachet and quality of buying an architect’s own abode.
“There have been a lot of fans who wanted to come and see it for inspiration,” he says. “It’s got people talking. They say, ‘We’ve always wanted Martin to build us a house, but now we can actually buy his house.’”
There is an element of fascination – and satisfaction – when architects flip the brief onto themselves.
Feras Raffoul, principal of FGR Architects, has proposed an all-stone kitchen to past clients, but they hesitated because they wanted to see a precedent. Now, they can experience it in his family home, Concrete Curtain at 27 Jackson Street in Toorak, which is on the market through Marshall White.
The kitchen is an edge-to-edge study in the beauty of Aquarzo quartzite. “When we push the realms of architecture and interiors and present those to clients, they say, ‘I like the idea, but have you done that before?’” Raffoul says. “Now, it is a signature item.”
Feras Raffoul at home in Toorak.Credit: Timothy Kaye
Concrete Curtain was a finalist at the 2023 World Architectural Festival Awards. It is the second home Raffoul has designed for himself but the first alongside his wife, architect Sarah Chang-Raffoul. “You’re able to refine it because then there are two sets of eyes,” he says. “We looked at each other about three months after we moved in, and decided we wouldn’t do anything differently.”
The home takes its name from the columns that veil the facade for privacy. The concrete throughout is a blend of white and grey and so instead of leaning severe and dour, it’s graceful and warm. “The interiors have surprised people,” Raffoul says. “The mindset is that concrete is brutalist, but we’ve been able to use that product to provide a very soft, calm and elegant outcome.
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“What we’ve done internally has really changed people’s viewpoint.”
However, the value has not been in creating a showpiece, but in understanding how the design functions, especially with two young children. “Presenting something like this is one part, but living in it for the last three years and using it day in, day out, that’s by far the most important,” Raffoul says.
“I feel that architecture has gone down a path where everyone looks at a product and judges it purely on its visuals. No one really understands how well that architecture is behaving for the occupants. For me, that is very high on the agenda.”
Marcus Chiminello, of Marshall White, is handling the sale, with a guide of $12.5 million to $13.5 million. Chiminello says it is where “design and liveability” unite. “It pairs a striking concrete facade with light-filled interiors and refined natural materials, creating a home that feels both architecturally significant and wonderfully comfortable to live in,” he says.
Architects are natural problem solvers. Jos Tan took a conundrum and designed the Mary Poppins carpet bag of urban homes.
Jos Tan designed a Brunswick West home.Credit: Jason South
Tan and his partner were house hunting and dismayed by poor-quality inner-city housing. Melville, their three-bedroom Brunswick West property, was a response.
The home is set on a small block.Credit: Jason South
The three-storey home, finished in 2023, packs plenty on a 90-square-metre site. The principal of Tan Architecture did not stray far from his usual design process because budgets, constraints and opportunities are a typical playbook.
The home includes a rooftop deck, two living areas, two bathrooms and a study. A dedicated bike garage, behind a galvanised steel door that opens onto the street, was a particular desire that Tan incorporated.
The bike garage.Credit: Jason South
“I think just about every house I’ve lived in in the past never had any real consideration given to bike storage,” he says.
Tan was conservative with materials and tones, to ensure long-term enjoyment. “I liked the idea of keeping things neutral and simple, and then letting our lives fill in the colour and the texture,” he says.
Designing for himself meant faster decisions. “Sometimes even on the fly, which was quite important during construction,” he says.
However, collaborating with a client was an aspect he keenly missed. “I enjoy that process of incorporating their ideas and their tastes into the project,” Tan says.
“Often, that produces delightful results – one that is greater than the sum of its parts.”