Heyington Gardens is a sensitive restoration of an entry vestibule within an iconic 1960s modernist apartment block. The project investigates how a design approach based on historical research together with innovative craft and fabrication techniques and shared conversations can transport building occupants from their contemporary life into layers of rich history.
Originally designed by prolific architect Ernest Fooks in 1963, Heyington Gardens is a boutique modernist apartment block which, after an unsympathetic nineties reworking of the foyer, was in dire need of refurbishment.
The feature glass mosaic mural of bright green and melon was inspired by the Fooks' love of the subtropical Guinea Turaco bird. The mural’s profuse plumage echoes the building’s surrounding finishes and lush gardens. Other clues from the archive informed new terrazzo floors, the restored timber front entry door, and copper entry signage. The design features artisan crafted light fixtures and an anodised aluminum entryway bench that features a subtle laser-cut pattern: a reinterpretation of the mural’s geometry. New wall-hung copper glass mirrors are located to multiply sightlines and greenery, thus opening up the L-shaped space. The lift was refurbished in hammered steel and copper coloured mirrored glass; creating an otherworldly portal into the foyer beyond.
Designed on a small budget, with input from dedicated owner-occupiers, this foyer transformation illustrates how contemporary interior design can coexist with - and revitalise - historic interiors. The refurbished foyer now operates as a gathering and social space: an environment with rich personality that greets residents and visitors alike.
Heyington Gardens invests in its past and carries those stories forward to create a shared space of delight for future generations. What makes this project unique are the contemporary elements that celebrate an original icon with new moments of brightness and joy.
The project utilises advanced fabrication, archival research and co-design methods to reimagine a historic building: an uncommon approach within multi-residential interventions. Crafted installations reframe the original architecture and choreograph current occupants’ experience, turning the foyer into a space that is social and memorable.
The design is the result of rigorous research via consultation with an architectural historian and research-led practice underpinned by an iterative process of examination and critique. This in-depth investigation resulted in a considerate design outcome which places the contemporary and historical imaginaries in a nuanced dialogue.
CategoryInterior Architecture, Residential
Location Toorak, Melbourne
StatusCompleted
Year2021
Collaborators-
PhotographyChristine Francis
