Michael McCormack Milieu Property

Johnston

Brunsw

ick

Hertford

Napier

Melbourne’s unique urban environment and rich cultural life is an ongoing inspiration for each Milieu project. We are driven to create buildings that will add to the fabric of the city we so love and appreciate. In this spirit, we have allied ourselves with collaborators who support our vision to make spaces that will endure.

DesignOffice is a leading architecture and interior design firm that shares our desire to contribute to the urban environment. The short essay that follows illuminates the deep thinking that informs this project.

The outcome is Hertford Street, a collection of five unique homes that reflect a thoughtful approach to inner city living. Each offers aesthetically beautiful and functional living space, anchored by the principles of sustainable design.

Such a nuanced approach to the nuts and bolts of living is unusual in a location that marries a private street address with access to the cultural riches of Fitzroy. We are proud to introduce Hertford Street.

Process

We have a huge passion for design and are driven to create environments that are not only aesthetically refined, but which function successfully and enhance the experiences of the people who use them.

Our studio is underpinned by a holistic approach to the design of interior spaces and buildings. We aim to design to first principles. Design responses are crafted as specific responses to specific briefs, site conditions, budgets and programs. What do the users need? How will they experience the spaces? Where will the light come from? How will occupants live, shop, relax, work in spaces?

This approach is anchored by a set of design principles, which form heart of the studio. Visual clarity and simplicity is at the core of these principles.1 Other narratives that run through our work and our approach include a focus on material quality, colour,2 texture, craft and a certain graphic aesthetic.

The process of design refinement is important to us. Realising a concept needs development through testing, revisiting, and photographic mock-ups. The front end of the design process at DesignOffice is quite old school; we make models 3 and draw sketches while concepts are being developed. We begin the design journey with a sense of discovery as ideas develop. Parallel to that process, we interrogate the conditions of the site to fully understand its constraints and potential.

We start with an assessment and analysis of the site, posing various questions. What is the orientation and how is it approached? What are its opportunities, and context? How does the site work with the client’s brief ? Who is going to be living there, and what sort of spaces do those individuals need ? 4

For us, the whole process is one of balance. The building form and materiality, and how it sits on the site, is just as important as the design of the spaces. We continually evaluate how to craft buildings that will sit well on their site, are simple, refined and edited,5 and will enhance the occupants lives. We think deeply about how spaces relate to each other, how people will use the spaces, what time of day they will be used and what emotions they might generate. The way that light falls on and within the building is an important consideration, which raises more issues. Where will the natural light come from? 6 How will

it illuminate or cast shadows, where will people place lamps, what kind of lighting will support people’s activities in a specific space.

The five homes on this site are spatially quite complex, because there is a level of manipulation and sophistication in how the spaces work. A natural palette of materials was important to us and formally, we wanted it to have a visual simplicity. We have achieved a cohesive external form through the use of timber shingle cladding, yet there is visual depth and texture in the variations inherent in this natural material. Alongside the intention to create a cohesive form, is the desire to visually express the individual houses on a tangible human scale.

Ultimately, while striving for an architectural purity and simplicity, we are designing houses that are fundamentally informed by consideration of the way people use them, where the light is coming from, and how a person is going to feel in them, and it’s finding that balance that we really love.7

Mark Simpson & Damien Mulvihill DesignOffice

1 “Back to purity, back to simplicity” Studio reference, Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible (2011).

2 Graphic and chromatic clarity, PANTONE by Letraset. 3 Preliminary tests for the Hertford Street model.

5 Home of Mark Simpson. The simple yet refined Goldfields Dwelling.4 “Apartments for Living”

Type-D floorplan from previous collaboration with Milieu, Peel By Milieu.

WS

7 Early entry sketch. Investigating the balance between outside and in.6 Light reference, Vitra Home Stories (2006).

Form

A single material skin provides cohesion to the outward shape of Hertford Street, while subtle architectural moves, such as curves and radiuses, mean that each home reads as a separate entity. The outcome is a building that balances cohesion with individual expression.

North West

South EastSouth West

North East

Space

Living spaces are typically conceived around a series of moments, or the way people live throughout the course of a day.

There are many such ‘moments’ throughout these homes. The liveable space begins with a secure transition from street to front door, through quiet threshold spaces. Kitchens are positioned to frame views; an island bench is a place to gather and prepare food, while a large block step in the kitchen might be a place for children to occupy.

Unlike typical open plan living, where space can feel limitless and undefined, materials and spatial variations have been used to articulate rooms without using walls. Variations in the height of the ceiling and a rich material palette differentiates the kitchen, dining and living areas, while carefully placed windows extend the sense of space.

Preliminary Sketches

Front Yard H3 Living H4

Dining H2

Main Bedroom H4

Roof Terrace H1

Materials

The home interiors are composed of a natural material palette that exudes warmth. Cork, concrete and bluestone floors, timber ceilings and terrazzo bathrooms create robust and well-defined living spaces. The exterior is wrapped in timber shingle cladding, with metal cladding and expanded mesh for screening, giving the building a contemporary edge.

General

Exterior

Kitchen

Bathroom

Flooring Carpet to bedrooms – wool blend looped pile – grey / white

Cork flooring to living, kitchen, study and ground floor entry – dark cork

Tiles to laundry, bathroom and toilet – bluestone

Walls / Ceiling Timber ceilings to living spaces

Painted plasterboard to bedrooms and bathrooms – natural white

Façade / Cladding Timber finish cladding – stained

Asphalt shingles

Metal cladding / awnings – black

Metal roof / capping – dark grey

Terrace Timber, bluestone

Decks Timber decking – stained

Fence / Gate Steel and timber fence and gate

Courtyards / Entry Bluestone

Benchtops / Splashbacks Stainless steel

Island Bench Stainless steel, 2-pac grey

Cupboards / Joinery 2-pac grey

Bluestone

Terrazzo feature tiles

Clear mirror

Collaboration

Milieu, DesignOffice, Loose Leaf and Milieu Built have worked closely to bring intelligent design to Hertford Street. Milieu’s second collaboration with this dynamic team establishes a commitment to creating timeless homes with humanity at their core.

Milieu Property

With more than 50 years of combined professional experience and award winning projects, Milieu holds an enduring commitment to considered architectural design and development. Milieu draws on the unique character of Melbourne’s people and its surrounds to create spaces that both mirror and enhance the environment and the lives of those who call it home.

milieuproperty.com.au

DesignOffice

Architects, interior designers and Collingwood locals DesignOffice specialise in confident and personable spaces. Collaborating with Milieu, their process is shaped by an understanding and empathy towards each project.

designoffice.com.au

Peel By Milieu

Whitlam Place

Loose Leaf

Loose Leaf is a collaboration between florists, designers and partners Wona Bae and Charlie Lawler. In their northside warehouse they have curated indoor plants to improve the natural aesthetics of Hertford’s five homes.

looseleafstore.com.au

Milieu Built

Milieu Built is a residential and commercial builder with an emphasis on delivering unique projects. Milieu Property and Milieu Built work closely together with our design teams to realise every detail of our projects. With over 70 years’ combined industry experience, we take a collaborative approach to deliver from the ground up.

milieubuilt.com.au

Bedford Street

Collingwood Store

Sales Enquiries

Patrick Cooney — 0408 527 248 patrick@milieuproperty.com.au

Spaces of Influence® milieuproperty.com.au

Please note that the material contained herein has been produced prior to detailed design and construction, is indicative only and does not constitute a representation by the Vendor, Agent, or Vendor’s consultant in respect to the size, form, dimensions, specifications or layout of the unit at all. The final product may change from that illustrated herein. Furniture is not included. All furniture shown is for illustrative purposes only. Artists impressions, floor plans and the project specification depict and or detail upgrade options which are not included in the purchase price unless noted in the contract of sale. Changes may be made to the detail layouts during development and construction in accordance with the provisions of the contract of sale or the building and or planning requirements or for compliance with relevant standards or codes. Prospective purchasers must make and rely upon their own enquiries.

Design by Studio Hi Ho