New Family Residence 

Aurora Residence | Chadwick Architects | Yarraville, Melbourne

Moments from Yarraville Village, Chadwick Architects' design for the Aurora Residence was for a new home for a family who aspired to an original and bespoke piece of architecture that reflected their own style. The design incorporates a simple and refined palette of brick, render and glass, which provides a feeling of solidity and timelessness in a contemporary way. The curved façade elements aim to provide a changing appearance as the light plays on each surface at different times of day and throughout the year.

A Light-Filled Interior Designed Around Craft and Warmth

Inside, the Aurora Residence continues the exterior's quiet confidence. The architecture and interior design are fully integrated, with every surface, joinery element and light source considered as part of a single, cohesive vision.

Entry and double-height stair void. A generous entry opens into a double-height void, where clerestory windows draw natural light deep into the plan. Timber-framed glazing washes the white rendered walls with soft, shifting daylight. The oak stair, with its slender white balustrade, becomes a sculptural centrepiece, connecting the ground floor to the upper level.

Sculptural curved timber joinery. A sweeping, curved timber-veneer joinery wall is the interior's defining feature. It echoes the curved forms of the façade and conceals generous storage, with a built-in window seat, open shelving for hats and bags, and hanging space for coats. This is bespoke Australian joinery in which function and form are resolved together.

Open-plan kitchen, living and dining. The kitchen, living and dining area is designed for family life. A timber-clad island with a stone benchtop and waterfall end anchors the space, with stone splashback, brass tapware and full-height timber cabinetry. Large timber-framed windows frame views of the Yarraville streetscape and its heritage rooftops, while a built-in window seat adds a place to sit and read. Layered lighting from wall sconces, concealed downlights and ceiling spots creates a warm atmosphere from morning to night.

Upper-level landing and study. On the first floor, a feature timber pendant light hangs beside a wall of timber-framed windows overlooking the neighbourhood. Internal glazing connects the landing to a study lined with built-in bookshelves, borrowing light and views while keeping the spaces open to one another. Slender balustrades, a soft carpeted corridor and gallery-style artwork continue the calm, residential character.

Bathroom. The bathroom is a calm retreat of large-format stone-look tiles, a freestanding bath beneath a timber-framed window, and a walk-in glass shower. Brushed brass tapware and fittings, a marble vanity top, an oak vanity and an oversized rounded mirror give the space a refined, spa-like quality.

Materials and Palette

• Exterior: brick, render and glass, with curved façade elements

• Interior: American oak or Australian hardwood-style timber flooring, timber veneer joinery, lime-washed and rendered walls, natural stone, and brushed brass fittings

• Light: north-facing glazing, clerestory windows and a layered artificial lighting scheme

Why Aurora Residence Stands Out

• Architecture and interior design as one: a fully integrated approach in which joinery, lighting, materials and spatial planning are designed together

• Light as a design material: the home changes through the day, with sunlight moving across curved timber, render and stone

• Sustainable, enduring design: natural materials, passive solar principles and a timeless palette built to last for generations

• Heritage-sensitive context: a contemporary home that respects Yarraville's established streetscape

About Chadwick Architects

Chadwick Architects is a Melbourne architecture and interior design practice creating bespoke homes, extensions and renovations across Victoria and Australia. Known for sustainable, light-filled and crafted design, the studio delivers architecture and interiors that are individual to each client.

Looking for an architect in Melbourne or an interior designer in Yarraville? Contact Chadwick Architects to discuss your new home, renovation or extension.