When an 1892 Anglican church outside Melbourne, Australia, arrived the market, husband-and-wife architects Dominic and Marie Bagnato jumped at the chance to rescue the weatherboarded structure from being bought and turned into a commercial office space. With older churches such as it becoming a rarity in the region — the little designs can’t support growing congregations, so churchgoers are consolidating into larger spaces — the couple determined that converting the building into an amazing modern house would help make sure its remaining power. “We wanted to maintain the architecture and keep the appearance but bring it to a 21st-century home on the interior,” Marie says.
Clearly, adding a little style did not hurt, either. Since it had been recorded as a heritage site, the architects could do just so much to the existing construction. They created a mezzanine with two bedrooms and a rumpus room in the older church structure and added a new modern building with a lavish master suite, ramping up the square footage to accommodate the current occupants: a physician, his wife and their six kids.
Together with the house’s hundred-year-old trusses and ceiling, and luxury decoration, being inside it today is almost a religious experience.
in a Glance
Who lives here: A family of 8
Location: Moonee Ponds neighborhood of Melbourne, Australia
Size: 5,274 square feet; 4 or 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Budget: $1.55 million
Bagnato Architects
It had been all about highlighting the emptiness in the living room. The monolithic fireplace soars up to 6 1/2 meters (a little more than 21 feet). The normal ceiling height in Australia is half. “It’s quite imposing when you’re standing there,” Marie Bagnato says. The chimney has a black marble hearth and a plaster finish, also connects to the ceiling and timber trusses, both a hundred years old.
Leaving the limestone floor “lumpy and bumpy,” Bagnato says, and incorporating an acid-washed finish, helped make the surface look aged.
Bagnato Architects
Since it was a very insular building, the architect worked to link the distance to the yard. Large windows now open to the swimming pool and scenic Moonee Valley. The larger window is supposed to be a modern interpretation of a Gothic window. “It gets the space magnificent back there,” Bagnato says.
Gold is a theme throughout the home. The color reminds Bagnato of older churches, something she says she subconsciously thought of throughout the plan. Gold comes from the multicylindered chandelier, which is intended to emulate organ pipes.
Bagnato Architects
Since this is a heritage-listed building, the architects kept all the original exterior features on the church side, including the weatherboard, Gothic windows and cloverleaf port. “To be transparent, we wanted to highlight the building, not ruin the facade,” Bagnato says.
A black stairwell links the church to the new modern building, which includes the master bedroom.
Bagnato Architects
The designer wanted the press lounge in the church building to have a very different vibe in another living areas. Whereas the living area is spacious and filled with light, this space is intimate and moody, with gray walls, alligator-skin-recalling wallpaper, velvety sofas and carpets, and tiny surprises of stone.
“I wanted it to feel very lush and over the top. It’s almost just like a foyer to a resort,” Bagnato says. “It’s where you go with friends”
All furniture: Coco Republic
Bagnato Architects
Black and gold remain in this sitting area, which was the first entry to the church. It now links to the press couch, with windows that look to a garden.
Bagnato Architects
Calacatta marble runs throughout the kitchen, such as the staircase. The place connects with the dining area and spills from the living area.
Bagnato Architects
A freestanding Caroma Noir bath overlooks the master bath. The materials utilized throughout the rest of the home replicate within this space. The black Nero Tempest marble found around the fireplace comes up here as an imposing wall; acid-washed Chiampo limestone similar to that in the living area adorns the ground, just here it has a more honed, smoother finish. The light fixtures glow amber when lit, complementing the golden tones in the marble.
Bagnato Architects
This staircase is the link between the old and new building. It leads up to the bedrooms and features partially exposed stained wood treads to get a floating effect.
Bagnato Architects
The first Gothic windows divide the ground levels in the two church bedrooms. An original truss cuts a striking scene, as does a mirror near the ceiling over the bed that makes the hundred-year-old wood roof appear to hover.
Bagnato Architects
This al fresco seating place is underneath some of the new building that joins the two structures. The cabinetry around the stainless steel barbecue and sink is recycled timber.
Bagnato Architects
Glass walls fuse old and new, inside and outside, connecting the home to the pool area and the Moonee Valley beyond.
Bagnato Architects
The mezzanine looks over the living area void, aided by a glass balustrade. The old trusses jut into the distance, maintaining the rhythm of this old structure.
The architect wanted the staircase, which contributes to an attic-type space, to sense sculptural but not fight the old building design.
Bagnato Architects
The homeowners are turning the attic-type space with views of Moonee Valley into a attic bedroom for two of their kids. A kitchenette and powder room are back.
Bagnato Architects
The owners wanted the master bedroom to feel somewhat like a lavish hotel room. Sheer black drapes, charcoal wallpaper and an artichoke-recalling mild add to the effect.
Bagnato Architects
The ceiling at the wine cellar is recycled timber. The backsplash is backlit onyx.
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