Cart 
Reinventing a heritage building requires a certain sense of restraint, sensitivity and innovation.
This was especially true when it came to the renovation of Kesterson House, a home built in St Kilda about 150 years ago.
While the property has mostly served as a residence over the years, in 1982 the house was purchased by architect Allan Powell, who turned it into a robust yet elegant office for his busy studio Powell & Glenn Architects.
So by the time the current owners bought the old Victorian in 2020 with hopes of making it their family home, it required some work to make feel like a residence again. The couple tasked emerging architectural practice BUNSTON with an initially ‘simple brief’: design a new kitchen, a bathroom and some cupboards for storage.
‘Whilst simple in nature, the real task was to create a home,’ BUNSTON founder Zac Bunston says.
‘The house felt worked in and the ‘living’ was less apparent; there was certainly no sense of a family home.’
Luckily, the sizeable 289-square-metre floorplan didn’t need to be extended, allowing BUNSTON to focus on a series of considered updates and alterations. Most of the existing dwelling remains, with the narrow, south-facing rooms or ‘offices’ being subtly reworked into a contemporary living space.
Everything was rearranged around a central courtyard garden, which highlights the enchanting wall on the rear facade covered in Boston ivy — one of the owners’ initial attractions to the property.
In addition to carefully working with these existing elements, the renovation salvaged as many of the building’s original materials as possible. The bricks from the demolished walls were cleaned and re-laid; the original windowsills are now used as steppers across the courtyard garden; and the pendant light in the kitchen repurposed from the offices.
‘By salvaging the existing fabric, the proposed design acknowledges the buildings past both as an office and as the historical Kesterson House,’ Zac says. ‘Without a doubt, the most successful architectural element of this project is the link between the old and the new.’
‘A glass link sits at the end of the originally dwelling and below the mass of ivy; it is the only built junction between the old and new. And as the light changes throughout the day, shadows are cast through the ivy and into the living spaces.’
But perhaps most importantly, the renewed house now reflects the client’s personality.
Hand-patinated blacked steel joinery is paired with playful orange internals in the kitchen, and the ‘hidden’ powder room reveals a tartan wallpaper highlighting the owners’ Scottish background.
Many of the material selections come as a surprise without appearing ‘out of place’ — bringing a brand new feeling to the old house.
