Eclectic Fusion Of Styles For The Ages

The definition of timeless beauty, The Melrose is a custom Oswald Homes build that blossoms with streetscape appeal throughout the year. It is the kind of home that earns a second glance: a quietly confident residential design that draws on period references without imitating any single style. Set in one of Perth’s most architecturally rich suburbs, The Melrose demonstrates how a bespoke custom home can anchor itself to the character of its neighbourhood while remaining entirely its own thing. It is a home designed to last, designed to grow with the people who live in it, and designed to feel as relevant in thirty years as it does today.

A family residence situated behind a modern take on the white picket fence, this sprawling abode encapsulates what it means to build a true forever home.

“Quite simply, the brief was to create a home that could accommodate the changing needs of a dynamic growing family across the years, in their chosen location,” says Oswald Homes Senior Designer Michal Kurtis. “It needed to be zoned with both sensitivity and creativity so that every room could function exactly as required without compromising the amenity of adjacent spaces.” This kind of brief is the natural territory of a bespoke custom home builder: creating a floorplan that responds to a specific family’s way of living rather than a generic demographic. At Oswald Homes, the design process starts with the clients and the site, not with a catalogue. The result is a home that is genuinely tailored to the people who live in it.

Bringing yesteryear charm to the residence, stained glass from the original home on the site was incorporated into the front of the entrance.

“We had the front door sidelights and a portal window carefully removed prior to the demolition of the previous home,” Oswald Homes Project Manager and Interior Desinger Kestryn Chaloner said.

“The original 1920s stained glass bring so muich beauty and character to an otherwise new dwelling.”

The use of muted colours on the exterior allows the house to peacefully nestle into its surrounds.

“With the use of grey, white and black, it blends beautifullly into the streetscape, and also creates a flexible palette for both the exterior and interior styling,” Ms Chaloner said.

Mr Kurtis said the home combined different style influences, including the American bungalow and the Australian version of the American craftsman.

“We were deliberately not after an interpretation of Hamptons,” says Mr Kurtis. “What we sought was an eclectic design sensibility: one that drew on the early 20th century period homes typical of the neighbourhood’s original architectural character, alongside influence from traditional American homes of the same era.” This kind of eclectic custom approach is one of the things that sets a bespoke Oswald Homes design apart from a production builder’s catalogue. It requires a design team with the depth of architectural knowledge to work from period references without producing pastiche, and the confidence to combine styles in a way that feels resolved rather than uncertain. The result, in The Melrose, is a home that looks as though it belongs exactly where it is.

Ms Chaloner said the fusion of classic and contemporary style was highlighted by the use of ebony-stained jarrah floorboards, Montauk Lighting Co light fixtures, cabinet hardware with a brushed brass finish, and a modern spin on the traditional shaker panel cabinet door profile throughout the interior.

She said as the homeowners were avid cooks who loved to spend time in the kitchen, it was paramount that the space was specifically moulded to their needs.

“They both also work from home, so the kitchen area was particularly important to them,” Ms Chaloner said. “We incorporated an independent coffee station, as they both are passionate coffee drinkers, plus high-end V-ZUG appliances and a Sub-Zero fridge, which makes it perfect for entertaining.”

Mr Kurtis said the contemporary floor plan comprised dedicated places for both living and leisure, being carefully laid out, yet allowing freedom of movement between areas.

“The central hub of the home defines perfectly between different zones, moving from the parents space, the family area, and then a place for the guests and kids,” he said. “Added drama is created thanks to the raked ceiling over the dining area, providing plenty of natural light as well.

Creating seamless indoor/outdoor connection, Mr Kurtis said the alfresco also included its own raked ceiling aligning with the dining area’s to increase the sense of grandeur, maximise connection to the outdoors and allow plenty of natural light inside.

Originally published by Ysabella Salisbury at The West Australian, 9 March 2024