The transformation of a '70s apartment into a unique two-storey home was no easy task for architects and designers MYMYMY, who faced immovable brick walls – making the relocation of services nearly impossible - and an extremely tight budget. However, by emphasising the apartment's character and distinctive qualities, they were able to add their characteristic pop and considered colour signature to create a functional family home.
“It’s really important to be really targeted and try and make as much impact as you can, and achieve as much as possible, by doing as little as possible - particularly in these types of apartment renovations,” explains Mark Brook, principal at MYMYMY.
Apartment HF’s success is down to Brook’s application of this philosophy, focusing on the things with the greatest impact. As he stresses, the rest will fall into place; a theme will emerge, a story will form, and the home will find its feet and feel like a whole.
The limitations on the property – predominantly the inability to move walls and services – required some creative thinking. The kitchen was reconfigured, and a new island was designed to embrace the living space, while also providing a genuine spot to gather. The generous bench space – in the pink and orange hues of Santa Margherita Rosa del Garda, an Italian terrazzo slab from Vero Galleria – provides ample drama and a bespoke feeling of colour coordination. By including an induction cooktop, the entire space is a usable unit, quietly nodding to the space-efficient needs of apartment living.
Unable to move the services without major structural demolition, Brook’s solution for the kitchen was as smart as it was simple: “we basically thought ‘what if we turn the kitchen into, for want of a better word, a butler’s pantry and bring the cooking elements that we could – the cooktop – to the living space?’ We’ll leave the plumbing and water alone.”
Working with Canberra-based CJC Constructions, the team was able to give the living areas the breathing space they required, moving the kitchen’s less interactional elements, fridge and sink, into the more private butler’s pantry, made no less connected or accessible due to a few neat design touches, like the wide entrance and continuation of the palette.
Employing Surround by Laminex in VJ 100 on the kitchen walls serves several purposes. Aesthetically, it adds texture and interest, but practically it also provides a slim cavity to run services to the cooktop and island. Painted to match the Laminex Moroccan Clay cabinetry, it also connects the room and overall theme of the apartment.
“We were after a material that felt classic the way Surround by Laminex panelling does. Something reasonably cost-effective and added a bit of texture and visual interest to what is otherwise a standard wall material. Surround allowed us to do that,” says Brook.
MYMYMY applied their palette around existing features, like the refurbished timber staircase (perfectly '70s in style) and exposed, pale brick walls, and concentrated on executing a smaller scope of work to a high standard rather than attempting a larger renovation of lower-quality materials and finishes. The results are a very special apartment, but one that feels appropriate and of its time too. Case in point are the bathrooms where MYMYMY used decade-fitting brown tiles that avoid reviving any awkward memories for kids born of the era, but provide a nostalgic nod and wink to the best of the 70s.
“We wanted to steer towards warm colours to make the apartment feel bright and generous and comfortable for a family – something I think is often found in those tones - but also pick up on the '50s, '60s, '70s. The clients are really interested in mid-century design, but the apartment’s obviously from the seventies, so we were looking to find a middle ground in the colour palette; something modern but kind of leans to that era, feels new but also feels like it's not trying to contrast against the existing building.”
Apartment HF works because it stays focused, never gilding the lily or relying on pastiche; approaches that would’ve dated or become tedious. The textures are there, as are the colours and materials, giving an apartment a second life while providing great usable room for a young family with the longevity needed to see them grow.
Learn more about the project and explore MYMYMY’s portfolio on their website.
Products used within Apartment HF are Laminex Moroccan Clay, Laminex Pale Honey, and Surround by Laminex in VJ 100.
Credits:
Architecture: Mark Brook, MYMYMY Architecture
Builder: CJC Constructions
Photography: Kiernan May
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