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An Apartment that Looks and Feels Like Living in a House

07.30.14 | By
An Apartment that Looks and Feels Like Living in a House

Sometimes living in an apartment feels like a compromise, but not the Walsh Street, South Yarra project. b.e architecture worked with their client to design a house that’s made up of two apartments where each one looks and feels just like a single residence. And looking at the finished photos, you’d never know it was two properties in one as it looks like a single family home.

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The street is one of the most sought after in Melbourne with the size and scale of the units feeling like single residences. There are two owners per unit, with each apartment covering one floor. You can spot the different apartments by the use of contrasting materials on the exterior – the top is white and monolithic, while the bottom is dark and textural.

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Privacy was key when designing the apartments so you can avoid seeing your neighbors all the time if you don’t want to.

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The entrance might be shared but it feels large and grand.

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The rooms are large and open, giving the feeling that you’re living in luxury housing and not your run-of-the-mill apartment.

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Each residence gets a large outdoor space that feels totally private – the downstairs comes with a recessed terrace and the upstairs has a deep set cut out patio.

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Custom details were incorporated throughout with tactile materials like wood and stone.

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Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.