This historic 1940’s Church Hall has been transformed into an extraordinary family home and artists’ abode by award-winning Melbourne architect George Hatzisavas.

Beyond the original doors and entry hall a vast main living zone opens up, with steel beams, recycled timbers and stainless-steel finishes giving the residence a timeless warehouse feel.

The open-plan living space features the original north facing church windows, built in bookshelves, jetmaster fireplace and entertainer’s kitchen with 3 metre solid marble island bench, butler’s pantry and freestanding 1200mm Bertazzoni stove with twin ovens and industrial Qasair rangehood and no less than 7 metres of wet-top edged stainless steel benchtop.
Full-folding doors open out to a beautifully proportioned, flagstone paved atrium garden. This is the centrepiece of the house, set between the living space and the dormitory tower, providing articulation between activity zones and sleeping zones and ensuring abundant natural light and ventilation flows into all rooms. From here the visual drama of the new tower reaching up through the original gable roof of the church is simply breathtaking.

An internal walkway links the living areas to the dormitory wing. This new four-level tower comprises four bedrooms, linked by an elevator, and all with their own facilities. The ground floor is a fully-appointed master suite, with an equally well-appointed guest suite occupying the entire first floor. Beyond the second floor bedrooms and bathrooms is a secluded top floor teenage retreat or fifth bedroom.

This residence has been conceived as a place in which to create, with acoustically-treated basement recording studio, comprising live room and control room, and two stunning art studios on the mezzanine level, one framed by floor to ceiling windows, the other with direct access to the huge entertaining deck to the north west.