Grand Designs 2024 – Small House Redesign

Grand Designs 2024 – Small House Redesign

A little Melbourne workers’ cottage gets a radical reimagining as a Mid Century Palm Springs oasis, while across town, a backyard shed is transformed into a Japanese bathhouse.

[Music]
while building a dream house is for some
this is your place wonderful many others
are transforming existing
homes smashing down walls ripping out
kitchens and digging up Gardens had to
remove over 100 tons of soil in the rain
we’ve had some issues with water
drainage as they reimagine their homes
as places to live work and Thrive I have
no experience in building zero what are
we doing are we mad are we
crazy I’m Anthony Burke a professor of
architecture and I’m interior designer
Yasmine janim and each week on this
brand new series of grand designs
Transformations this is amazing we’ll
follow the makeover masterminds behind
two very different projects oh my God
this is a resort this isn’t a house this
is everything we’ve been working for and
dreaming for we did it SL step step this
week it’s game on in Melbourne South
Yara I can spot it from the end of the
road where a superstar footballer a
hattick for the skipper in her first
final and a big league building expert
go all out on creating a Palm Springs
spa retreat at home is the pink hitting
the mark yes on a tiny inner city block
building band to bandid we call it the
Jinger puzzle will trying to solve it
turn building their Sanctuary into their
biggest stress every delay it feels like
it’s about 10 years and across Melbourne
in Flemington it’s rather chaotic isn’t
it a couple seeking somewhere to kick
back in the inner city today is the day
the Shady is coming down smash it try
replacing their Ram shekele shed what is
holding that on really nothing with a
luxurious Japanese bath house you be
careful you break it you buy it although
their watery Haven may leave them
drowning in frustration it’s a disaster
disaster it’s persuaded us not to do
Renovations oh my God ever ever again
again
one two
H Katie Brennan and Olivia Christie are
a couple of Health obsessed Melbourne
go-getters Katie’s built a successful
corporate Fitness training business off
to Brennan who’s already kicked two and
she’s high-profile captain of the
Richmond Aussie rules women’s team is
Brennan it’s a hat trick for the skipper
in her first
final I guess my line of work being an
athlete things that really Aid with
Wellness is really important for your
well-being but also important for for
recovery and health you got this I’m
more worried about you than
me all right so yeah they’ve got that SL
por Olivia’s at the top of her game too
as a consultant passionate about making
highrise buildings healthier and more
people
friendly I’ve been the building tree
over 20 years now and I absolutely love
it that’s so great working in Industry
they you really enjoy working it’s
fantastic not content with pushing
boundaries in their professional lives
the engaged couple are now pushing
boundaries literally with their
ambitious year and a half long
transformation of a 19 S me block in
bustling South Yara a Stones Throw from
Melbourne
CBD it All Began 10 years ago when
Olivia bought this fit for demolition
only 1970s Cottage on a rare double
fronted
block what I wanted to do with it the
site definitely evolved over the years
originally when I bought it I was going
to look at putting two town houses on
the site and then just got to a point
where I really wanted to to build my
dream
home and even that has evolved since um
been with Katie and since meeting Katie
and her moving in what the couple have
decided on is a marriage of Katie’s
Fitness fetish Olivia’s passion for
people friendly buildings and their
mutual love of mid-century homes with
that distinctive Californian
coolness all of our inspiration for the
house has come from our travel in
particular our time spent in Palm
Springs the architecture The Greenery
that’s where the plan sort of started
around creating the perfect home for us
that incorporated everything that we
live for I guess the non-negotiables for
us were a pill first and foremost and
also packing as much as we can in to be
able to train at the house the natural
light was so key a lot of you know
Greenery and and just that connection to
nature sounds great and with the
construction well and truly underway I’m
fascinated to see how that’s going to
work on a hemmed in Slither of a block
in Chile in a city Melbourne this is
your place it is it’s so present on the
street I can spot it from the end of the
road yeah we’re absolutely stoked with
how it’s coming along we’re living
pretty close by um in a rental at the
moment and yeah we just we can’t wait to
to be in it really what are the main
challenges you think you’re facing in
this kind of build the biggest challenge
was um just building boundary to
boundary and making sure that we’re
making use of every square inch of the
land yeah so it’s just under 200 square
meters so we’re fitting a whole lot of
house on 200 sare me y so we’ve got uh
boundary to boundary boundary to
boundary and then we’ve got what one two
floors two floors yeah plus a roof deck
plus the roof so you really are going to
squeeze this as much as you can and take
advantage of all of that yeah
[Music]
absolutely so here we are Anthony in the
uh Lounge oh wow uh someone maybe you
maybe your architect has worked really
hard to get all of this light in here
obviously so that sounds like it was a
bit of a tricky jigsaw puzzle on a tight
block like this was it yeah absolutely
we call it the Jinger puzzle this this
project so their
home it’s certainly a lot of building on
one little block that’s going to have to
work very hard to look and feel like a
house in Palm
Springs past the facade at street level
a garage utility area and study lead to
a mid-century inspired sunken lounge
with suspended fireplace and wall length
sliding glass panels that open to an
outdoor
Garden it adjoins a skylet kitchen with
a showstopping pink 6 M long benchtop
centerpiece this opens to a tiny
Courtyard that will house a gym in a
cupboard for Katie plus a hot and cold
water swimming pool with a 5 1/2 M long
seethrough acrylic wall which will
enhance the sense of
space upstairs a first floor main
bedroom with on Suite plus two guest
bedrooms and bathroom lead to the party
central roof Terrace which features
desert inspired landscaping and of
course those stunning city
views so where did we start how much was
the purchase price uh we bought the site
for 800,000 about 10 years ago um and
moving on to the build it’s costing
about 1.7 mil okay uh when did you start
building uh about 14 months ago and
we’ve probably got about 2 months to go
before we completed we just can’t wait
to get in and yeah finally be in here
there’s so much going on your beautiful
design I’m really looking forward to
where this
[Music]
goes with Just 2 months before their
rental lease runs out there’s a
formidable to-do list
inside while outside the brickies are
finishing off the eye-catching front
facade no no there’s nothing like this
around anywhere around Melbourne
really known as hit and miss brickwork
it enjoyed a Big Revival in mid 20th
Century Palm Springs providing both
privacy and light as well as much needed
ventilation in a hot
climate but it isn’t for rookies if
bricks are poorly laid entire walls can
give way yeah a lot of concentration not
a lot of B to talking like you really
got to think we spent a whole day just
doing the cuts and marking out for the
curve and getting everything
right it’s a striking exterior all right
but this project is about a lot more
than that one thing’s for sure Katie and
Olivia have managed to eek out every
piece of available space in their tight
190 met block for this project but what
about the mood they want calm Palm
Springs inspired mid-century Vibes think
Sleek low slung flat roofs floor to
ceiling glass open and embracing the
natural desert environment
but looking at this big imposing
structure in Chile Melbourne no less
that’s going to be next to impossible to
pull off if they really want desert
modernism their interior design fit out
is going to have to be the ultimate
optical
[Music]
illusion Olivia and KY AR the only
Melbourne couple after vacation Vibes at
home engineer Chris and lawyer Mark are
seeking the same
some Zen for men if you
like but they haven’t been inspired by a
dream getaway more holiday gone wrong
I’d always wanted to go to Japan because
I had friends who had been and they were
very much it’s the best holiday I’ve
ever had you love it you should go and
Mark had ban yeah and was just
magical but thanks to the pandemic a day
trip to this Japanese themed Spar
outside Melbourne is the closest they’ve
come to experiencing the Delights of
Japan together
so the the trip to Japan was all
organized and we had everything
absolutely mapped out it was going to be
marvelous this is my friend we’d
organized 3 weeks off cheers swe and
then literally the pandemic came and we
couldn’t go it was it was really
upsetting with their holiday a and the
pandemic raging Mark and Chris hunkered
down in their 100-year-old Cottage in
the inner city Melbourne suburb of
Flemington for month after quarantined
month Mark seeking escape from the
mundane in
music while green fingered Chris found a
respite in the
garden where an idea blossomed we were
in the backyard and we realized that we
never use this little shed and it’s a
waste of space and we missed out on the
opportunity of going to Japan so you
know maybe bring a bit of Japan to us
and and we spoke to very good friends
who are
Architects and came up with this concept
of
having yeah that’s sort of Japanese
style bath
house it’s sort of creating something
special for both of us that we can
hopefully really enjoy so it’s a crazy
project and it’s a lovely project my God
look at that isn’t it lovely Flemington
is an inner city suburb it’s busy it’s
Urban it will be such a nice thing to
have a bath and go into a separate space
and have that time on your own to just
you know take it easy to lull around for
a bit to have that kind of quiet
timeo yeah it’s a complete
luxury being a bit of Zen yes into into
the whole Space
yeah it’s lovely in here isn’t it just
champagne huh M oh it’s coming it’s
coming
[Music]
from shed to Sanctuary with a Japanese
twist all squeezed into their itsy bitsy
backyard I bow to Mar and Chris’s
creative thinking but they’ll need black
belts in gumption to pull this off
you’re leading me down the uh Garden
Path he left you are indeed Into the
Wilderness so here we are yes uh in the
jungle um a bit crazy isn’t it well it
is rather chaotic isn’t it it’s an
absolute mess it needs a little bit of
love yeah yeah so what is going on here
so we are building a bath house which is
going to replace the shed we thought
well if we can’t go to Japan bring Japan
to us bring Japan to us that’s very
brave I absolutely love Japan I’m not
going to profess but I really know much
about Japanese architecture yeah um or
Japanese Gardens cuz I just can’t help
but think you know these gorgeous little
Stepping Stones to this black beautiful
box with a smoking chimney no it’s not
going to be like that really I think the
architect has really helped us to try
and work in an urban Style with Japanese
influence really right and typically a
Japanese bath house would feature a
gorgeous Timber tub is that aligning
with what you’re thinking no not short
answer not not a wooden bath although
that might have been a good idea but
it’s not happening I think it would have
been a really good
idea but really this Japanese influence
is riding on your shoulders because
you’re the only one that’s visited it
right yeah it was his inspiration really
I would say yeah I would say it is but
the whole idea of having this exciting
project uh just a fantastic building
beautifully designed which we’re clearly
going to use um is from my point of view
absolutely
awesome Japan is 8,000 km from Melbourne
but Mark and Chris’s plans are light
years away from the country’s
traditional bath houses but perhaps
their take will hit the spot like a soak
in soothing
SS step one down with a duny the shed
and toilet banished to the dump in its
place a brand new plumbing system
cocooned in the concrete foundations on
which this petite zenen will sit from
here Chris and Mark should have an easy
sprint to when they can run that first
bath an insulating layer will be covered
in shiplap style charred black Timber
it’s rough sa finish enhanced by its own
soakin wood oil the steel roof which
mirrors mountain peaks will Crown the
bath house but whether it’s reminiscent
of Mount Fuji well it remains to be seen
a Japanese inspired Garden will surround
this aquatic Sanctuary which
disappointingly won’t feature a
traditional wooden tub as the anchor of
this Backyard Oasis what style bath they
do go for will be crucial I just hope
their choice doesn’t leave bathers
feeling lukewarm and the bath house is
their much desired slice of East Asia
right here in downtown
Melbourne so how much is it all going to
cost we think around 40 that’s a pretty
SP bathroom it is a pretty SP bathroom
sorry Bath House Bath House bath bath
house yeah and how long do you think
it’s going to take we think it’s going
to take about 6 months so when do you
see yourself using this Bath House
definitely at the end of a hard week
just having that soak just going to be
gorgeous we’ll have kimonos by the back
door and a little pair of slippers that
we can Shuffle down and put some I’m not
actually convinced he’s going to be
wearing a kimono what are you doing
tonight for the next few hours having a
bath
[Music]
I love that Chris and Mark are
reclaiming this small corner of their
Garden but what I am worried about is is
it to Japan light I fear that it’s not a
large enough gesture will I feel fully
transported to another time another
place another culture will I feel like
I’m in Japan my answer at the moment is
I fear
not
it’s an exciting day on site the end of
an era for their backyard eyesa today’s
the day it is today is the day today the
day the Shady is coming down we’re
excited to start knocking down
knocking down Put It smash it
yeah don’t even need that what is
holding that on nothing nothing this
demolition has been a long time coming
okay watch your fingers they wanted to
start the bath house after I first
visited for month ago and the last one
let’s go mate go but there’s been a
frustrating lag yes apparently there’s
something called a a builder’s permit
which has taken months to come through
we’re going to do the the rest here
their Builder Peter is now Under
Pressure to make up for lost time
knocking it down is quicker putting it
up yeah yes Peter you keep telling me
it’ be a challenge to do this job and
finish it
quick I don’t know how long this is
going to be I don’t know 6 8 9 months
maybe I’m not sure hang on originally it
was a 6mon build and now the timetable
sounds like roulette exactly a lot of
thinking got done there no one knows
where it will land see you next time
I’ll crack on okay this is a game of
chance Chris and Mark should not be
playing because if they aren’t across
Basics like the schedule I worry what
other critical details they’ve missed
that could land the bath house in hot
water
[Music]
in Melbourne’s busy southa at Katie and
Olivia’s Palm Springs inspired inner
city Oasis exteriors are near in
completion but the real challenge in
capturing that mid-century desert Vibe
is inside and to me that means creating
a sense of those wide open
spaces so I worry that a 6m long
benchtop might not just overwhelm the
kitchen it could be an obstacle to
accessing the courtyard as well then
there’s the small matter of their
fondness for all things pink an
interesting design challenge for their
interior designer Wendy Bergman so Tim
we’re looking for something special
girls love pink like we do we need
something with pink connotations that
would be
amazing 6 M of marble is a Big Slab
problem is marble sheets can only be
quarried in lengths up to 3 and 1/2 M or
they’re too fragile to
handle so whichever piece Katie and
Olivia choose it’ll need to be sliced
lengthwise and book Matched or folded
out like pages of a book so veining
matches in the Middle come through this
way I think this is pretty exciting this
is very new um an incredible Brazilian
court site called Rosa colante wow lots
of incredible Pink Gold some dramatic
veining I can’t believe that pink wow
that pink is exactly P hitting the Mark
it’s the pink it how incredible it’s got
drama but yet it’s got softness which is
everything that is you strength drama I
think this might be it guys I think I
love
it on the other side of the Yara River
in Flemington it’s been 3 months since
Mark and Chris knocked down their shed
to Make Way for their Japanese bath
house but so far it’s been more cess pit
than sanctuary
the guys who have been digging the
footings for the new building hit this
pipe and so every time you did something
in the house including the lavatory it
arrived here it was really awful it was
literally pouring out there and it was
uh really a bit of a
stink well that’s sewage problem number
one but there’s a number two
Brewing I’ve just followed up on that
conversation that you had with with um
Peter and greater Western water there
does need to be a tie in it does need to
be 600 mm from the building boundary so
it has to go in the
Alle great yeah great great this is an
unwelcome twist Mark and Chris must dig
up the alleyway behind the bath house to
connect the new Plumbing to the mains
but digging up public land and fiddling
with sewage pipes requires permission
from the local Council water company and
must be done by an approved specialist
contract
for a small fortune could be around
$10,000 it could be more it really could
be more the concrete is had to be put
off the plumbers had to be put off Peter
can’t do anything and yeah so works are
on whole from here it’s a
disaster I’m not pissed off with the
builder I’m not pissed off with the
Architects as the brainchild of the bath
house Mark has paved with himself and
I’m really sorry because this has really
caused a huge amount of unnecessary
stress sorry yeah well these things are
never straightforward and they’re always
a bit you know stressful at least it’s
persuaded us not to do Renovations oh my
God ever ever again
again Chris and Mark’s Asian Hideway is
Goring away at their Mojo but if they
can stomach the ups and downs they’ll
discover renovation projects can perform
Miracles our couples want their homes to
provide escape from the hustle and
bustle and are trying to create Serene
multi-purpose spaces within the confines
of their modest Inner City properties I
want to take you to this place because
this is like a whole other level of
sanctuary we’ve come to the Melbourne
suburb of Fitzroy where helicia house a
19th century Victorian Terrace this is
cool has been transformed by Austin
mayard Architects I thought you might
like this they’ve got ponds with koi
fish like real fish from a dark and
dingy Relic into a practical and playful
Urban Haven so from the tough streets of
inner city Melbourne to an oasis This Is
Awesome The Greenery just sort of
welcomes you immediately off the street
and that little sound of water just
pushes the street noises away so before
you’ve even met the front door you’ve
already effectively left the city behind
and you’re already in your own space
this used to be a room two levels so
imagine saying I’m going to sacrifice 20
M of floor area to get an entry way this
is a place of sanctuary and it’s set up
just at the beginning of the house as
soon as you enter you close the doors
it’s done there’s some really wonderful
Design Elements here which are very
Japanese inspired and I think Chris and
Mark could really take a lot of these
details into their idea of a tranquil
connection between the house and their
bath
Sanctuary home is where we should feel
most at ease but what each of us need to
chill out could be different to someone
else homeowners they wanted a fish tank
in the kitchen because a fish tank is
good luck that’s why we should make make
whatever spaces we have to play with
about our likes loves and values which
they’ve nailed here this is the Hub of
the house flanked by two Incredible
oases One featuring water and one
featuring Greenery now who wouldn’t love
that living in a city yeah when you boil
it down there’s really just some pretty
basic principles here we’ve got lots of
great air light and Greenery and that’s
just got a beautiful calming effect I
wonder it feels like such a a restful
place
19th century Terrace houses aren’t
typically blessed with an abundance of
space but here they’ve exploited every
no cranny corner and crevice to create
areas to
relax work show off keepsakes that make
them happy or hide the mess that causes
stress and out to the Garden this
continues outside where vertical space
has been seized upon to create an
elevated veggie patch that links this
very personal home to The Wider
Community when that’s going off that
whole area up there can produce enough
food for the whole street no yeah say
community garden on steroids it sure is
yeah how great is that right going up up
okay up up what’s up here more green
space and look at that Skyline you can
just see the hull of Melbourne what’s so
successful about this is you got this
wonderful Sanctuary experience
downstairs you’d have no clue you were
an inner city Melbourne come up here and
it’s all I can see it’s such a great
marriage of the Two Worlds what I love
about it too is that this is the master
bedroom right here so you’re actually
floating up above all of this and what
I’m most worried about with Olivia and
Katie at South theara is that they’ve
really hunkered down they’re trying to
pull green and light into the house but
it’s very much like this whereas here we
kind of pop out and we wake up to the
city every
morning this works wonders yeah there is
so much personality in this house the
architect has worked so well with the
homeowners to exent
their quirks and their personalities and
give them the home that they want and
make them feel comfortable in this
beautiful little Oasis so there’s
something in that I think for all of
[Music]
us there’s no doubt Katie and Olivia’s
Palm Springs Slice of Heaven in
Melbourne southa is all about what makes
them
tick but work on the interior has slowed
to snail’s pace and they’re way behind
yeah we’ve had a um a CP of delays which
um has drawn things out sort of a couple
of months we’ve had to rearrange the
kitchen joinery it was it was not
fitting and we’ve had to wait for new
materials to get into it to make that
happen so every delay at the moment
feels like it’s about 10 years because
we’re just so excited to get into the
house adding to the stress they’re
heading off on a long planned overseas
trip initially timed for when the house
was supposed to be finished it’s not
probably the best of timing but it’s the
only break we’re going to get this
yeah a week later with Katie and Olivia
13,000 km away in Mexico their 5 1/2 M
long acrylic swimming pool wall arrives
but getting it in is the challenge I’ve
got it right I’ll get you to go yeah
sounds
good yeah I’ll just get away from that
it’s to slot in along the entire pool
length you’re missing that rout you’re
theine if the 7 100 kilo panel Falls
foul of the power
lines it could come crashing down
through the neighbors
[Music]
roofs 100 entering the
mle coming easy you got about 500 left
on the
AC once it’s sealed in pool tiling can
begin what I wonder is whether the
pool’s watery Vista will actually
magnify the sense of space as hoped or
look like a giant backyard
aquarium speaking of squeezing big
things into small spaces the prized pale
pink kitchen bench toop has arrived in
Katie and Olivia’s absence Wendy’s in
charge and it seems in love oh my God
it’s so Divine wow wow wow and
wow it’s the Jewel of the whole
house I got bounce beautiful it may be
St but the big question is will it
fit
magic
magic
amazing everyone’s happy everyone’s
happy that’s what we’re here for good
result oh man represents the two women
that live in this house this is the
feminine it’s stunning
wow benchtop joinery for the Island’s
second half still needs work so the
sister piece won’t go on today it’s yet
another delay that Katie and Olivia
don’t need
beautiful in Flemington Mark and Chris
know all about holdups on their Japanese
bath
[Music]
house it’s taken 4 months to get
permission to connect the bath house
Plumbing to the Main’s pipes in the
laneway behind the property we’re all
done now we fixed all the pipes the
sewer everything connected we’re all
good in there yep $13,000
later ouch that’s an unwelcome addition
to their 40K budget but there’s still
some cash for the important things so uh
when do I buy the bath salts p uh I
think about a couple of months from now
a couple months from now you can have a
b there’s a pip there there’s
AIP Peter just said that we might be
able to have this done in 2 months which
would be in time for Mark’s 50th
birthday so that would be fantastic so
it’s happening I just wanted to get back
to see it basically that would be such a
great present and a good surprise
there’s been a lot of ups and downs and
it has ragged on and it would just be
marvelous to have it done um in time for
that did we get to write our names in it
that’s what I’m wondering I reckon the
architect would go no that’s a
nogo it’s taken a tedious and tiresome 9
months to get this far but Mark has a
gift of his own for Chris to reignite
their passion for project bath
house he’s rebooked their Co canell
holiday to
Japan brilliant oh my goodness ready to
go hi
[Music]
okay so here we are we’re in
[Applause]
Japan I’ve had concerns that their
contemporary Twist on a bath house is
Japan light and will fail to capture the
traditional charms of Asia but I’m
hopeful this full fat experience erience
could help them cook up something
authentic in their backyard we’ve seen
some beautiful wooden baths here in
Japan all along we said we wouldn’t have
one in our bath house but they do have
their charms for sure so we need to
consider it I’m still leaning towards
these very simple Fabrics uh for the
screen in the
bathroom I think we found something that
we’re nearly there
with oh I every one of these man and
with hobby Gardener Chris in charge of
Bath House Landscaping he’s taking a
deep dive into Japanese Gardens looking
at some Gardens got some good ideas
getting the idea of what formulates the
backbones of the Japanese Gard maybe
some
things with the boys away Builder Peter
is under pressure to keep his promise a
finishing in two months time we’re
trying to do as much as we can get her
all ready and the frame needs to be
finished fast as’s a roof going on top 3
2 1 and pressing is due for install in a
matter of days all right check that
angle see where it’s being made at a
Melbourne Factory by a squad of Steel
folding ninjas bang on on that spot what
we’re trying to achieve is a specially
designed roof which is supposed to
resemble mountain peaks nearly every
fold on it is a different angle so
there’s a challenge in trying to get all
them the right way keep it on that edge
cuz we got to roll it is feel for that
PO and they just know where it’s got to
go 144°
perfect suppose when you think about
bowling metal down roller over roller
over roller over you’re basically making
a shape as you would in
origami careful aside if only it was as
light as paper just be careful let me go
in slowly at 50 kilos a
sheet y turn turn yeah all right the
installation is a backbreaking job for
Peter and offsider Adam you all right
yeah that’s it look at that oh go to me
a little
bit you all
right there but boy it sure is a cool
welcome home gift for Mark and Chris I
can’t believe it this is great the roof
line is awesome yeah yeah a very simple
design but actually when you step in
there it’s got almost for me like a
landscape um and it does remind us of
the temples and the mountains of Japan
when we were there and to rekindle
memories of Japan when they’re using the
bath house Mark and Chris brought back
some keepsakes that fingers crossed will
add some East Asian Ambience this is
such a treat authentic Japanese textiles
wow you guys went hard the bath house is
very strong it’s very sturdy in terms of
build but it’s very plain and then what
you see this why not so how are you
applying the four different textiles I
can see a lot of drawings here yeah okay
so we came up with these ideas of
banners maybe over the screens here
between the bathroom and the rest of the
bath house we have a straight option A V
option but I didn’t appreciate your
input on this well my natural sort of
thinking would lean towards more
straight because it’s so much more
reflective of the Japanese Simplicity
but then I look at the Triangular shapes
and I do feel like they work so well
with the roof line yeah yeah we like
that we we he he look he was v i was
straight you’ve come in we’re going for
V and I think you’re right because the
roof is so
awesome the Fabrics will add a little
Japanese zest to the bath house but I’m
adamant a traditional wooden bath known
as an auro would supercharge its
authenticity so I hope seeing these Tubs
on their trip has changed their minds
and they’re going to plump for the real
deal we’ve been to all of these
beautiful rans and we’ve seen beauti
bathouses and what was reassuring for me
was actually a lot of them had quite
modern really beautiful baths in a
traditional setting really and then
certainly a couple of places with the
old Japanese like wood baths which
clearly wouldn’t have functioned here
and it wouldn’t work in the city for us
you may have convinced yourself Mark but
you haven’t convinced
me in South Yara Olivia and Katie’s Palm
Springs likee health and fitness
Sanctuary is now 2 and 1/2 months behind
schedule and the race is on to
finish now back from their travels
there’s endless decisions to be made
starting with Katie’s design for her
backyard gim in a Cupboard one but also
feel that the one door is
better sorry mate we just going to
measure something out here in terms of
our layout um we’re going to be putting
the weights on the back wall just
because it can hold the load and then
slot the the TV behind the weight rack
will be foldable and then we’ll just fit
the assault black in front and yeah
hopefully the rower and the ski will get
into space so we’re fitting a whole lot
into um yeah into this space
here and it will miss this then there’s
what sort of door will be wide enough to
access all the equipment but still fit
in the narrow Courtyard to be hinged
from this wall and it’ll have a wheel
also help with the weight going be such
a big door wheel
across yeah yeah we’ll we’ll go with the
the one um the one piece of the sliding
door I feel like it gives us um a whole
lot more
space now it’s a waiting game until the
Joiner is
finished at least the greenery is going
in an interesting choice that packs
quite the Palm Springs punch they just
sent us a photo of when they’re over
there so they want to try and
replicate that we can’t get a palm Tre
up here but do the rest we want to spin
some around so it doesn’t all look the
same and then once we’ve got that and
we’ll pull them out and pop them in one
by
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one I certainly have no quibble with
desert style Gardens but if the Palm
Springs Vibe inside as a whole doesn’t
ring true a planter box of striking
cacti against the skyline might be as
close as it
gets across the city in Flemington chren
Mark’s Japanese bath house is still
under construction despite the hope that
Mark would get a birthday soak for his
50th H we almost made it almost Mark’s
birthday has come and go we were hoping
to have it all finished a bit of a Pity
but it’s uh getting close really it
looks like there’s a hell of a way to go
including a Herculean effort from Hobby
Gardener Chris to create a spectacular
Japanese garden that complement the bath
house obviously there’s a bit of
pressure having been to Japan and seen
how amazing it all is and having a real
idea what we want to achieve this is the
um this is the pointy end I’m excited
and a bit
scared out of their 40K Bath House
budget Chris and Mark are dropping
$7,000 on the garden it’s a lot of money
to kind of spend so it is important to
get this right because a bath house in a
Suburban Garden without some context
would just be weird it needs to feel at
home in that Garden where you’ve done
there that’s that’s about right so you
can keep all that all the way around all
the way around there that is ideal
nailing the garden is what will raise
the bath house experience from tepid to
hot and if I’ve said it once I’ve said
it a million times I really think a
traditional wooden bath would help but
Mark and C are hellbent on something
modern wow bars Galore look at that a
lot of bars it’s the main feature of the
room so we’ve got to get it right you
like it yes might be a bit small I don’t
like that at all okay what about this
one I’m not sure about the slope I think
it’s probably going too modern okay
another one bites the dust
hello you be careful you break it you
buy
[Laughter]
it oh oh it is Big isn’t it it’s super
big they’ve budgeted $4,000 for a bath
which needs to be installed ASAP so the
pressure to make a quick decision is
mounting we’ve got a really close lead
time I know I know I know I know but you
know we’ve got to choose this pretty
quickly let’s just look for the rest of
today and then I promise we will make a
decision before the end of the day I
feel a bit yeah okay I’m well they
certainly don’t want to be regretting
their choice every time they run a
bubble bath or their dream bath house
might be less Oasis more oh
dear it’s now well over a year into
Chris mark six-month quest to carve out
some Cal in The Hectic inner
city their plans for a Japanese bath
house have always seemed a bit well
teper for my
liking but now that it’s finally
finished I’m hoping to be proven
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wrong well look at that they delivered
didn’t
they
and I didn’t think they could pull it
off but they did and the best part about
it is is that I actually feel like I’m
in Japan wow this is
wonderful hey oh hello look who the cat
brought in this is incredible thank you
hats off to you didn’t actually think
you could pull it off yeah we we were a
little bit surprised ourselves really
actually and feel a little bit humbled
by the whole thing from the Char Timbers
to the beautiful slate pavers even these
concave little rocks that I guess I
assume a little seats but the garden is
magical as well and when this all really
fills in it is going to be such a
beautiful dreamy space to be in yes just
so generally to come out here is so
peaceful beautiful and it comes with an
element of
Pride I’m very proud of him oh someone
had to
cry yeah he’s a garden rock star I love
that I do have one burning question for
you I want to ask you why you chose to
go with a chard facade in a more muted
brown color than
black it was going to be black and we
saw the wood and we just thought it was
so beautiful and the architect came
around and went the wood is so beautiful
we all just decided just let’s leave it
as it
is Brown is the New Black there you
go I initially questioned the roof line
and now I see it here with the finished
facade and it’s little way it’s placed
so perfectly perched on top and it’s
actually my favorite detail of the whole
thing I love it but you know it’s like
mountains it’s like origami paper and
when you open the windows and you’re in
there it is magnificent well I haven’t
seen that and it feels like a little
Jewel box so can you please open it up
for me absolutely
ah here we go all right oh perfect she
got a window
each what a lovely
ritual and I’m going to enter through
the front
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door oh wow this is beautiful stunning
huh
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gorgeous I knew you wouldn’t do a wooden
bath no no it seemed to work out in in
in Japan that actually you can have a
traditional Japanese bath house and
still have a relatively modern barath
yeah it is an antique bath from a
beautiful company based in Australia and
it’s huge so can you both fit in it
that’s the bigger question yeah we can
the the question is do you want to I’m a
solo bath bath man I’m
so well I have to say I love the
contrast in materiality you’ve got this
beautiful deep dark box from the outside
and youve open it up and to this really
refreshingly pale Timber I love that and
I just think the way you’ve detailed
this I love how this marries with the
ceiling and the Shi screens make it the
screen on its own I think would have
been too simple this is just that ban
just adds that little bit of life and
color
yeah I actually want one for my house
now you can’t transport it to Sydney
there be Japanese B houses all over
Str well maybe that’s the
case that might well be the case but 15
months for just 8 square m I’ve seen
whole houses go up in less it is
beautiful now call me crazy but that’s
an awful long time for a very small
build well a friend of mine said if
building a Japanese Bath House in your
backyard was easy everyone would be
doing it very SM but yeah it’s the
detail and the Builder and the materials
some of the materials take time to order
but it is really Devil’s in the detail
isn’t it it is the devil in the detail
that’s correct you told me originally
you got you had 40K for this is that
where you landed approximately uh we had
a surprise with a pipe that we didn’t
know we needed and that cost
13,000 but we decided to do the
Landscaping ourselves and that was
initially a quote of 20,000 so even out
you know sort of evened out yeah you
know what I love most about it as well
what there not a single bit of
marble you’re over marble
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what an amazing
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transformation it hasn’t been
easy but in the end Chris and Mark fully
immersed themselves in this little
project FY saki for
sure and created something truly unique
just for
them congratulations here we are never
has bath time looked so
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good creating a mid-century desert style
Sanctuary with health and well-being at
its heart in Melbourne’s bustling southa
is also a laudable ambition but it’s
going to demand more than a stylish
modernist facade the space constrained
Interiors have dest strike exactly the
right note so I’m Keen to see if Katie
and Olivia have managed to pull off a
design
coup it’s looking
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sharp good Katie hello there how are you
looking amazing thank
you yeah look at this beautiful skip
stop brick work in the sunlight yeah it
is a beautifully crisp kind of design
isn’t it it is it’s really sticking to
that that aim of having a really really
wrong facade um but the curves adds that
softness yeah the curve that leads us
around to the front door yes makes you
wonder what’s inside doesn’t it doesn’t
it come on in thank
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you great little study
beautiful straight away I can see
compact clever design and the water
leading us out the
back welcome to the midcentury inspired
sunken Lounge the kitchen and our
entertaining space
what a gorgeous Oasis The Greenery pulls
you right in the light streaming through
It’s
Magic this is a nice design trick you
know you’ve shutting things down in
order to open them up again yes earth
air Fire and Water a so it’s a bit 70s
all round yes that’s right across the
stage and descend into the living room
yeah the light is fantastic it gets
bigger As you move in and this is the
hero of the day of course yes beautiful
pink stone bench top yes the Rosa C I
love it how you say that it’s just
gorgeous isn’t it actually and you just
want to run your hand over it you know
kind of want to put your face on it you
don’t want to let it go that’s for sure
that’s right we needed something to
soften the rest of the finishes I think
it’s it’s playing such an important role
in the whole house and we put it into
the into the powder room as well so both
on the floor and the vanity and yeah I
can’t ever see myself getting sick of it
I absolutely love it so you’ve got you
know the social bench you’ve got the
recovery pool over here did you get the
Fitness in the cupboard we absolutely
did it’s got to be this one that is the
door voila good this is this is your gym
this is everything we need sort of
unfolds out into this space it does
that’s the best part about it is you’re
working out outdoors I just love it as
opposed to being stuck in some indoor
gym or in the garage I just couldn’t
enjoy it more this is spectacular isn’t
the pool you kind of you know you’ve
done your workout you can kind of get in
there to cool off recuperate and very
inviting for all temperatures as well
you can turn it down to ice bath
temperature 10° if you would if you’d
like that or I would not like that turn
it up to be a bit more bomy too so it’s
hard to believe this home is just 9 M
across the space creating Master stroke
of course is the inspired integration of
water Greenery and above all
light it’s in the Strategic expanses of
glass panoramic Sky
Vistas daylight glimpses through hit and
miss brick work in the
bedrooms and of course the roof
Terrace where it’s all Big
Sky a there’s the city this is why this
space is so magic yeah city views the
broad sunlight we just love everything
about it the courtyard gets the morning
sun and and here in the afternoon sun so
yeah we love it this is really like the
the full stop on the journey isn’t it
three floors of really wonderful spaces
that kind of build on each other and
then we arrive here you know back to the
pink back to the kind of the whole Palm
Springs thing but it’s the last sort of
Harrah the last contribution to the
wellness program
yeah I’m just so full of admiration for
what Olivia and Katie have achieved this
really is an exemplary transformation of
what was a pretty uninspiring Slither of
inner city real estate well I think
you’ve pulled off a bit of a magic trick
here you’ve got a house which feels
bigger on the inside than it looks like
on the outside and on top of that is the
most calming and comfortable space that
I’ve been in for a long time thank you
thank you we’re glad you can enjoy the
space with us yeah absolutely let’s talk
about money for a second how much were
you intending to spend again remind me
uh 1.7 and how did we go um pretty much
bang on so yeah we had one variation um
which was sort of close to $40,000 to
upsp the windows it was really an
environmental decision and a comfort
decision as well so we really saw the
benefit of that how long did it take you
to get from the beginnings of the
project build to now uh so we was
supposed to be 18 months um but it took
us a couple of months longer so there
sort of a couple months delay that’s
pretty good yeah you’re a pretty
efficient Bunch
yeah there’s this great quote we shape
our buildings and thereafter they shape
us how is this beautiful design shaping
you I think it shapes us every day from
you know waking up um and having the
natural light in our bathroom from the
Skylight and then walking down here and
there is so much natural light that it
just wakes you up it’s part of that
Cadian Rhythm and then just having
breakfast at the the kitchen bench or
jumping in uh for me jumping in the the
pool in the morning and and having that
morning dip um just makes you feel
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alive there’s irony here isn’t
there on a hemmed in inner city plot
Olivia and Katie have created a home
inspired by the wide open Palm Springs
desert hi welcome did
it did come on in thank you
is amazing I love the way that’s and
there’s not just that sense of
space every corner of this remarkable
interior exudes a calming sense of
well-being many more nights on the
rooftop
cheers
Che this was an ambitious project Katie
and Olivia wanted more than a modern
light buil home they what a sanctuary
one that combined their love of good
architecture and design with a sense of
good health and
wellbeing they weren’t afraid to create
something unique and perfectly suited to
them and now they have both and can
quite confidently say there’s no place
like
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