The exterior of the Housemuseum has something of a Darth Vader look to it, without directly mimicking the brutalism that exemplified much of Melbourne’s modernist architecture of the 1960s. The street names that form the corner on which it sits—Cotham and Florence—are marked out in the chocolate-brown brickwork fence.

The large, naturally lit kitchen is the heart of the house. Messmate-clad cupboards and huge expanses of glass dominate the space where Angelucci uses the sink, Gorman works at the kitchen island, and Pepa and Hazel look on. Play in the courtyard between the kitchen and garage is easily supervised and enclosed from the alley behind the house.

Anchoring the Housemuseum’s music room is the mural YOU’VEALWAYSWANTEDTOBEBLACK (white friend), a 2006 piece by artist Brook Andrew. The red staircase leads to the bedrooms and additional gallery space on the second floor.

Emilio Fuscaldo sits in the garden outside the brick house that he designed for himself and his partner, Anna Krien, on a small subdivided lot in Coburg, a suburb north of Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Nic Granleese.

Located on a steep site with limited suitable building ground, the firm decided to cantilever the home over the hillside, which has the effect of helping the structure blend in with the landscape.

At over 500 square feet, the house’s green roof may be its most powerful—and most expensive—environmental statement. It cost $8,000 to waterproof, and $7,000 to landscape. Water from the roof feeds the toilet and the garden’s watering system, and the garden itself insulates the house and keeps gas bills low in winter. Photo by Nic Granleese.

The facade uses sustainably harvested and local PEFC-certified Australian timber cladding. Not only does the material palette blend in with the surrounding landscape, but it also serves a practical purposes: it is resistant to brush fire and extreme weather.

Journal Canteen, upstairs from Journal Cafe

Cathedral Arcade (37 Swanston Street, mall where Alice Euphemia is located)

Mark, staff at Journal Canteen, upstairs from Journal Cafe

In the living room, spare Scandinavian design takes center stage. Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs surround an Essay dining table by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen; a mostly wood palette is enhanced by slate-gray brick around the fireplace. The paper lanterns throughout the home are a mixture of classics by Isamu Noguchi alongside those picked up in Japan and France.

Laneway, Centre Place and Flinders Lane

A small country road borders the property to the west.

The cement exterior walls were painted in a dark color to blend in with the forest. Aluminum window frames add some texture to the facade.

Timber battens were used on north-facing windows to prevent excessive heat in the summer. The exterior is clad in Scyon’s Linea weatherboard and covered in Dylux’s Western Myall paint. Beneath the upper floor, a little nook makes for the perfect covered carport and storage spot for surfboards.

In South Yarra, a bustling neighborhood in Melbourne, Australia, the design-build-development firm Neometro erected the Ten Darling apartments with community in mind. The building, a Corbusier-inspired brutalist creation, situates residents within walking distance of the Toorak Road and Chapel Street restaurant and fashion strips as well as several parks and the city's Royal Botanic Gardens, and is a stone's throw from railway and tram lines. Photo courtesy of Neometro.

Liaison Cafe

Flinders Street Station and nearby views

State Library of Victoria

Centre Place and Flinders Lane

Bruce Rook in Chinatown and nearby

The Docklands

Australian expats Carla and Paul Tucker tasked designer Dan Gayfer with expanding their Melbourne bungalow without adding any square footage. In the kitchen, a soft palette of wood, laminate, and tile created cohesion, impressive considering the clients didn’t see a single finish, color, or material in person prior to their homecoming. The kitchen cabinets were clad in Russian birch plywood, and the countertops were concrete.

The new, enlarged master bedroom is positioned where the old dining room once was. The clients wished to add an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. Throughout the design process, there was push and pull with reconciling the programmatic goals with a finite space. “Getting everything the clients needed into a pretty small was achieved through massaging small dimensions from one end of the house to the other,” says Jost.

The architects pulled away the roof at the house’s center to create a courtyard where the residents can enjoy meals. The ground sits below floor level, which means that the wraparound eucalyptus deck can also serve as a bench.

Architect Andrew Maynard designed this home in Melbourne, Australia. Called the Hill House, its form is defined by a cantilevered box that juts over an Astroturf-clad hill. A three-foot-wide corridor opens up to an expansive, open courtyard that draws sunlight into the property.

In a Melbourne suburb, a family of four redefines “interior design” with a private house that doubles as a public art gallery. Photo by Dianna Snape.

Inspired by the Sydney Opera House, architects Andrew Maynard and Mark Austin paid careful attention to the extension’s “fifth elevation"—the way it’s seen from the sky. Its tiny houses, clustered at the southern end of the property, are clad in white steel panels and western red cedar shingles, contrasting materials that emphasize their geometric forms.

Views of Melbourne from Kingsway Bridge, looking east

The streamlined kitchen features Miele cooktop, Sirius hood, Siemens oven, and Fisher & Paykel refrigerator.

The “white cube” gallery space off the dining area displays work by contemporary Australian artists including Louise Forthun and Patricia Piccinini. Clerestory windows offer glimpses into the second-floor library and private bedrooms.

Federation Square

City and Highway shots from Citylink Toll Freeway

Liaison Cafe

“Keeping the kitchen and bathrooms simple saved money for the important things,” Harkness explains. They went with a soothing color palette and hardware from Reece.