TRW Terrace is a considered reworking of a late-Victorian terrace in South Yarra, designed for a family of three downsizing from a much larger home. The brief wasn’t about gaining space; it was about making an existing footprint feel generous, calm and genuinely liveable.

Previous renovations had left the interior fragmented, with the kitchen, laundry and powder room compressed into the darkest corner of the plan. Rather than extending significantly, we focused on precision: relocating the powder room beneath the stair, opening the kitchen fully to the courtyard through full-width, bi-fold doors and improving light and outlook throughout both levels. The material palette establishes a clear dialogue between old and new. Stainless steel anchors the kitchen as an unapologetically contemporary insertion, while custom timber furniture and architecturally applied colour give each space its own identity: deep blue in the dining room, soft yellows, icy blues and terracotta across the bedrooms and bathrooms. The result is a home that feels cohesive and intentional. It supports everyday life comfortably, sits confidently within its Victorian streetscape and is designed to grow richer through use rather than remain precious.

Photography: TRAIANOS PAKIOUFAKIS