This inner-urban Melbourne build boasts cathedral ceilings worthy of choir song. Home to a busy family and their much-loved fur child, Gable House is a modern sanctuary and alter to serenity. With a pilot, teacher and teenager in the mix, the design had to cater to a few different circadian rhythms. To achieve this, the house was carefully zoned into separate living areas. A second bathroom adjoining the guest room accommodates pilot Mark’s unusual shift-work hours.
Project Name: Gable House
Studio Name: Nine Muses Design
Project Size: 250 m2
Site Size: 375 m2
Completion Date: 2019
Building Levels: 2
Location: Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Australia
Photography: Mike Saunders
Seemingly contrasting priorities of separateness and togetherness were at play for the modest-sized site. The family wanted:
1. Individual spaces to retreat/ study/ sleep
2. A light-filled hearth to the home, with kitchen and dining offering a place to congregate and connect.
The kitchen-outdoor connection was significant for Chrissie, who loves to entertain. A street-side people-watching porch perch (sipping a sneaky coffee from the café next door) was another key agenda item.
THE SETTING:
Set on a compact site, the 4-bedroom home focuses on luxury and quality space. The budget concentrated on what mattered most to the owners – kerbside appeal and a communal indoor-outdoor living area with northern aspect.
Building beside a neighbourhood café with no front setback offered dual gifts. Not only could the home come forward in the site, the perfect Melbourne flat-white was also easily accessible.
THE COLLABORATION:
The joy of architect Jane Macrae’s work is the problem-solving and collaboration that comes from designing each house WITH her clients.
“I try to keep it real with my design approach,” says Macrae. “I figure, if the client loves it, it’s a success.”
“I make it my business to understand how my clients live and want to live. The fact that I now count many as friends is testament to great collaborations.”
“In this case, the owner Mark and I clicked right away and a great working relationship evolved. Mark is a very detail-driven pilot with a brain that is excited more by engineering than aesthetics – always thinking 10 steps ahead.
“He is one of those incredibly special clients – wonderfully trusting with the design, while making it his mission to ensure it was executed to perfection.
“Chrissie was more involved in the interiors and interested in the ‘feel’ of the space. They were a perfectly balanced team, each playing to their strengths.”
For Mark and Chrissie, the feeling is mutual.
“Jane was completely unfazed by the challenges presented to her,” said Chrissie. “She took our ambitious brief and maximised every element of the space. She made it easy.
“We don’t regret a single decision we made. It exceeds every expectation we had of what a beautiful and functional home could be.”
