Lasting Focus – Glen Iris House by Luke Fry Architecture and Interior Design

A place to gather, Glen Iris House is expanded from its previous self into a series of connected and generous zones. Luke Fry Architecture and Interior Design focuses on creating a time wearing and classical approach, ensuring a sense of legacy endures beyond its current owners and for generations to come.

Located in its namesake, Glen Iris House sees the opening of the family home to be a conduit for connection. Having previously downsized as part of their retirement, the want to create a space for their grandchildren to visit and enjoy inspired the move back into a more generous home.

Building from an existing structure, the addition and renovation allows the residence to spill even further into the landscape in the form of a living pavilion to the rear. Although connected through a glazed link structure, the addition sits removed from the original home and as a destination of its own. As an immersed element amidst the landscape, the addition is surrounded by a changing natural scene, animated by the seasons.

Luke Fry Architecture and Interior Design overlays restraint and a contemporary crispness in conceiving the new, which subtly connects to the existing.

Glen Iris House sees a new structure sit unobtrusively behind the old. In preserving the original streetscape, the existing character and its connection to the surrounding context remained, with the new acting as its own private sanctuary for its owners. In aligning along the southern edge, openings are directed towards the north to bring in natural light throughout the day and provide opportunities for solar gain. The outdoor and landscaped space is a main attraction for the owners and a place to engage with their grandchildren; the nudging of the form into the garden, near the pool, signals this connection.

Internally, softly sweeping gestures buffer otherwise hard edges and allow a flow of movement between zones and inside and out. Custom joinery and inbuilt fireplace elements are connected through a common language of form and similar lines, with elevated detailing and finishes to ensure the longevity of the spaces. Integrating expressive green marble with a similar toned green within the joinery, the kitchen is its own focal point and a celebration of both colour and materiality, which then influences the carpet selection. As a nod to the surrounding garden, the new both positions itself within the natural and is inspired by it.
Glen Iris House beautifully balances soft and hard, using natural veining and clear, open connections between inside and out to reinforce the importance of togetherness. Luke Fry Architecture and Interior Design honours the charm of the existing home, carefully ensuring the coming chapters are well prepared for.