This old milk bar has been transformed into one of Australia’s most beautiful homes – complete with a sunlit kitchen, award-winning styling and a dream open-air courtyard
- An old fashioned milk bar has been converted into an exotic house voted one of Australia’s best small homes
- The house in Fitzroy, one of Melbourne’s trendiest suburbs, was transformed by architects Kennedy Nolan
- Result is a unique family home built around an open-air circular yard that blends seamlessly with the interior
- The unusual design was inspired by the layout of medinas – walled quarters – in ancient North African cities
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An old fashioned milk bar has been converted into an exotic house inspired by ancient Arabic cities.
‘Milk Bar House’ in Fitzroy North, one of Melbourne‘s trendiest neighbourhoods, was transformed by architectural firm Kennedy Nolan for a family that requested ‘an oversized garage and a large garden’.
The result is a one-of-a-kind home built around an open-air circular yard that blends seamlessly with the interior, an unusual design based on the layout of medinas, the historic walled quarters of North African cities.
So striking is the conversion that it has been shortlisted for ‘best alteration and addition’ in the 2021 Australian House of the Year awards.
This old fashioned milk bar in one of Melbourne’s trendiest neighbourhoods has been converted into an exotic house inspired by ancient Arabic cities
‘Milk Bar House’ in Fitzroy North was transformed by architectural firm Kennedy Nolan over the past four years
Meticulous design has turned the vintage corner shop into a spectacular home filled with luxury
Melbourne photographer Eamon Donnelly captured the milk bar in its original state back in 2017, shortly before renovation works began.
Vintage signs advertising ice cream and Australian milk can be seen jutting out from the corner shop, which was regarded as part of the fabric of the local community.
Four years later, the house is unrecognisable, both inside and out.
Meticulous craftwork has turned dowdy countertops and steel shelving into spectacular living spaces connected to the courtyard by sliding glass doors.
Soaring ceilings and a north-facing aspect flood the interior with natural sunlight, while clerestory windows – an architectural technique dating back to the temples of ancient Egypt that positions rows of narrow windows above eye level – make the space feel airy and considerably larger than its actual floor size.
The interior decor is based on the layout of medinas, the historic walled quarters of North African cities
The house is built around this open-air circular yard that blends seamlessly with the interior
Then and now: Melbourne photographer Eamon Donnelly captured the milk bar in its original state (left) back in 2017, shortly before renovation works began; four years later, the house is unrecognisable, both inside (right) and out
Meticulous craftwork has turned dowdy countertops and steel shelving into spectacular living spaces connected to the courtyard by sliding glass doors
Kennedy Nolan’s director of architecture Adriana Hanna said the house was thoughtfully designed to suit its suburban location.
‘We were very keen to capture the exciting experience of a threshold that walled cities provide,’ Ms Hanna told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Hanna said the client’s brief for a ‘conventional family home’ with a large garden and garage was difficult to deliver due to the narrow space of the site.
‘Our design concept was to compartmentalise space in the same way as in the Medina of Arab cities. We organised space into walled zones – the entry courtyard, the garage, and the working garden,’ she said.
Kennedy Nolan’s director of architecture Adriana Hanna said the house was thoughtfully designed to suit its suburban location
The milk bar (pictured) is just one of more than 70 Victorian homes in contention to be crowned Australian House of the Year for 2021
‘This arrangement is ideally suited to inner suburban sites as it provides outside space which is private, secure, and able to be completely integrated with the interior.’
The former milk bar is just one of more than 70 Victorian homes in contention to be crowned Australian House of the Year for 2021, alongside a famed landscaper’s $23million Toorak mansion and a house with ceilings like waffles.
The winners of categories such as best new house and best house alteration and addition will be announced on Friday, July 30, after careful deliberation from a jury of the country’s top architects and designers.
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