Charles House in Australia: A Modern Home That Grows with the Family

Every homeowner would want to have a home that would grow with the family. This way, they can live in the house for many long years and their children’s children will also have that chance to live in the home they have invested and worked hard for.

For sure, having a house that will stand for years will be very much fulfilling.

But that isn’t the only thing that we want for a home, right?

Of course, we want it to be beautiful and it should have everything we need for a home like an office or even a mini-library. It varies from one family to another.

Apart from that, it would be nice to have a home that is practical and low-maintenance just like what we are going to feature today.

The project is called Charles House located in Melbourne, Australia. The owners want this house to last for 25 years or more so that they could still occupy it comfortably even when they become grandparents.

Very ideal, right?

This is indeed the kind of home that we all want because it would be a hassle to change everything once our needs change. But when it is designed with the future in mind, it will turn out even better.

Let us take a look at the house below.

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Designer: Austin Maynard Architects

Style: Modern

Number of Levels: Two-storeys

Unique feature: The house is broken into sections and used dark grey slate for the exterior. There are also other interesting features in the house like perforated flooring in the bedroom.

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The owner of the house wanted a home that they could live in for at least the next 25 years. The house, which is broken up into sections, has been designed so that it could adapt to the clients young children as they grow into adulthood, and as a place that could accommodate grandparents in the near future.

At night, the interior lights of the home create a warm glow and highlight the windows and various parts of the home that are open to the outdoors.

Here’s another look at the slate work that covers the home, and from this angle, you can see how the patterns of the installation change depending on the section of the house.

Covering the exterior of the home is a variety of dark grey slate in different patterns, with some sections having a staggered finish to show the wood underneath, especially at the side of the home where the garage is located.

Upstairs, there’s a living room with a hanging black fireplace that matches the black window frames.

On the opposite side of the living room is the study that can also be sectioned off.

On one side of the living room are the children’s bedrooms. Before reaching the bedrooms, there’s a section of the floor that’s perforated to look down to the lower floor. This allows sunlight from the tall vertical window to fill the staircase too.

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Beyond the kitchen and dining room is a music/living room that can be turned into a granny flat (apartment) for when the grandparents move in. It has its own bathroom and direct, wheelchair-friendly, garden access.

The main dining area has folding doors that open up to the backyard.

Next to the dining area is the kitchen, with white cabinetry and a large island with plenty of space for extra seating.

Separating the dining area and the granny flat is a home office that is flooded with natural light.

In some parts of the interior of the home, there are glimpses of the exterior materials flowing through to the interior.

Here’s a look at the kid’s bedrooms that can be opened up to each other, the hallways, the study and the living area. This will make it easy to change the function of these rooms as the children grow.

To reach the private master bedroom (or parent’s room) there’s a bridge that must be crossed, that also provides views of both sides of the home.

Here’s a look at another separation of the various sections of the house. This separation, that features the exterior materials inside, features stairs to the second floor of the home.

Here’s a look at one of the bathrooms in the home, where white tiles have been paired with a black wall cabinet for a bold and contrasting look.

The distinct architecture of Charles House required a landscape that responded and connected to its form in a direct way. Hence, this home designed by Austin Maynard Architects has a unique appeal not just in the exterior and interior but even for the garden. The outdoor areas wrap around the entire house is visible at all angles from the home. The house and its outdoor spaces encourage a connection between the interior and exterior spaces, all year round. And you have seen that from the images of the house above.