Paul Conrad’s Malvern residence adopts a cohesive material palette that is deliberate in its sense of calm and order. He contrasts this with an aesthetic the finds its balance in the classic yet contemporary, minimalist yet rich, and poised yet relaxed.
In designing his own family home, architect Paul Conrad of Paul Conrad Architects has embraced the principles for which his studio is well known. Located in Malvern, a leafy inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Conrad Residence is the manifestation of a holistic design process that considers architecture, interiors and furniture in equal measure. Clearly contemporary yet influenced by aspects of classical and traditional architecture, Paul has taken an interior architecture-first approach, allowing this to inform both the exterior and interior design.
The home, at once calm and cohesive, plays with tensions that Paul describes as being two sides of the same coin. Formal and intimate rooms to the front are balanced by open, modern spaces to the rear. The material palette, restrained and consistent, engenders a sense of homeliness and ease without sacrificing calm and order.
Products
Paul has primarily used materials of Artedomus limestone and marble, aged brass detailing, and highly textured European Oak. While minimal, the palette is rich in texture and tactility. Materials are used in their natural state or finished to enhance their character: the limestone and European Oak brushed to expose natural grain, the steel stair handrail beaten and blackened to emphasise its hand-wrought origins. Even underfoot, the attention to detail continues, with European oak floorboards hand-scraped with rounded edges, laid in varying widths.
Upon entry, a hall of Artedomus Crema Lyra limestone opens to an adjacent staircase in the same material, marking a strong axial view through the house to the garden beyond. The staircase itself more sculptural than a traditional spiral staircase, thanks to its complex elliptical design.
The living, kitchen and dining areas are designed in a more open and informal style. Large, floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors connect the living spaces to the garden beyond, while a series of Oak-lined openings link the kitchen and living room, accentuating the verticality and openness of the spaces. The kitchen’s four-metre-long island benchtop, topped in Artedomus Paonazzo marble, is illuminated by a custom brass pendant. Heavily brushed dark oak joinery conceals the kitchen’s functional elements lending this hardworking space a quiet and understated character.
The living area maintains a restrained and minimal aesthetic, ornamented by beautiful furnishings and an aged brass fireplace enveloped by a Paonazzo marble plinth.
Rather than shifting style between private and shared spaces, Paul has removed visual transitions and material changes to create a seamless flow between bedroom, en-suite and robe. Consistent timber floors and the home’s signature low-contrast palette unify these zones, which exude calm and visual restraint.
Working with this natural palette of timbers and stones, Conrad Residence embraces the character and richness that comes with age – introducing a degree of imperfection that Paul describes as “typically missing from much contemporary architecture that focuses on perfection”. Valuing the maturation of materials over time, the inevitable wear of family life becomes not a hurdle, but another welcomed layer of patina. A quality that lends resilience to these timeless interiors.
Photography by Timothy Kaye.