Houzz Tour: Office Building Becomes a Designer’s Stylish Home
See how an Australian designer transformed a commercial space into a family dwelling inspired by a boutique hotel
Georgia Madden
March 13, 2022
The thought of turning a 1970s office building into a family home would give most people pause. But not Melbourne, Australia, interior designer Kirsty Ristevski of Furnishd and her husband, Alex. “Having renovated multiple homes for ourselves and others, this project was not daunting for us at all,” Ristevski says. “It was a super-fun challenge. We were not doing this to sell it, but doing it for ourselves, so I just thought, let’s have fun!”
The commercial office building, which previously housed five businesses, was nestled behind a quaint cafe and shopping district in Albert Park, Victoria, just a stone’s throw from Port Phillip Bay. The couple purchased it sight unseen in 2017 with plans to turn it into a boutique hotel. “We were looking for something different and this building looked really interesting,” Ristevski says. “We bought it without even setting foot inside.” But it soon dawned on the couple that it was beautifully positioned to create an idyllic lifestyle for their family. So they ditched the boutique hotel plan but kept the inspiration as they worked on converting the building into their new home.
The commercial office building, which previously housed five businesses, was nestled behind a quaint cafe and shopping district in Albert Park, Victoria, just a stone’s throw from Port Phillip Bay. The couple purchased it sight unseen in 2017 with plans to turn it into a boutique hotel. “We were looking for something different and this building looked really interesting,” Ristevski says. “We bought it without even setting foot inside.” But it soon dawned on the couple that it was beautifully positioned to create an idyllic lifestyle for their family. So they ditched the boutique hotel plan but kept the inspiration as they worked on converting the building into their new home.
Photos by Dylan James
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Alex and Kirsty Ristevski, director of Furnishd, who handled the interior design; their two teenage boys; and their labradoodle
Location: Albert Park, Victoria, Australia
Size: Three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, plus a one-bedroom cottage at the rear, which is rented out
Builder: Brace Construct
The couple worked their magic in 2019 and 2020 to transform the building into a unique and inviting multilevel, three-bedroom home for themselves, their two teenage sons and their labradoodle, Maisie. “I love to work with the bones of a property as the starting point,” says Ristevski, pictured here at the kitchen bar. “All the brickwork, the commercial history and the challenges of the floor plan — these were the things that made this project really special.”
Find an interior designer
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Alex and Kirsty Ristevski, director of Furnishd, who handled the interior design; their two teenage boys; and their labradoodle
Location: Albert Park, Victoria, Australia
Size: Three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, plus a one-bedroom cottage at the rear, which is rented out
Builder: Brace Construct
The couple worked their magic in 2019 and 2020 to transform the building into a unique and inviting multilevel, three-bedroom home for themselves, their two teenage sons and their labradoodle, Maisie. “I love to work with the bones of a property as the starting point,” says Ristevski, pictured here at the kitchen bar. “All the brickwork, the commercial history and the challenges of the floor plan — these were the things that made this project really special.”
Find an interior designer
The main must-haves for the house included generous space for entertaining, a separate home office — “Little did we know how much we would need this,” Ristevski says — and an inviting atmosphere that the kids would want to bring their friends back to.
Gutting the interior and opening up the ground level to create an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area were the first steps in the renovation. “This required a whole lot of steel to support the two solidly built stories above,” Ristevski says.
The living room, shown here, features a wraparound modular sofa that flows into a nearby TV nook on the left. This allows multiple family members to be together while doing independent activities.
The rear wall is covered in a marble mosaic mural that Ristevski recovered from a tile showroom that was discarding it. The mural depicts the Flinders Street railway station in Melbourne. “It had been warehoused and I rescued it,” says Ristevski, who pieced it back together in the backyard by hand with builder Mick Crewes.
Sofa: Max, King Living; coffee tables: Trit House
Shop for sofas and sectionals
Gutting the interior and opening up the ground level to create an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area were the first steps in the renovation. “This required a whole lot of steel to support the two solidly built stories above,” Ristevski says.
The living room, shown here, features a wraparound modular sofa that flows into a nearby TV nook on the left. This allows multiple family members to be together while doing independent activities.
The rear wall is covered in a marble mosaic mural that Ristevski recovered from a tile showroom that was discarding it. The mural depicts the Flinders Street railway station in Melbourne. “It had been warehoused and I rescued it,” says Ristevski, who pieced it back together in the backyard by hand with builder Mick Crewes.
Sofa: Max, King Living; coffee tables: Trit House
Shop for sofas and sectionals
A built-in window seat that overlooks the pool has a heating element below.
When it came to the color palette for the home, the couple sought to add warmth, depth and interest through interesting textures and by bringing the outside in. “Both the city and the garden,” Ristevski says.
To create the entertaining-friendly spaces they wanted, the couple raised the height of the living room ceiling and extended the room outward to open onto a new alfresco entertaining area with a pool. “We wanted to create comfortable, livable spaces that looked great but weren’t precious,” Ristevski says. “We also wanted to include a few surprise elements.”
The “kitch-bar” is a perfect example of a surprise element. “We’ve really done nothing to the home’s exterior and it still looks like an ugly, mustard duckling, so the interior is a real surprise when you walk in, and this bar is the first thing you see,” Ristevski says.
“As we were originally considering developing the site into a boutique hotel, the bar came from that research, and it just kind of transposed itself into our home. Staying at Kit Kemp’s Ham Yard Hotel in London was certainly part of the inspiration,” she says.
The bar doubles as the family’s kitchen, with a butler’s pantry equipped with an oven to the rear.
Countertops: Sensa Taj Mahal and Dekton Sirius, both Cosentino; flooring: Marmoleum
“As we were originally considering developing the site into a boutique hotel, the bar came from that research, and it just kind of transposed itself into our home. Staying at Kit Kemp’s Ham Yard Hotel in London was certainly part of the inspiration,” she says.
The bar doubles as the family’s kitchen, with a butler’s pantry equipped with an oven to the rear.
Countertops: Sensa Taj Mahal and Dekton Sirius, both Cosentino; flooring: Marmoleum
Striped gray tiles cover the island base. Fixed bar stools keep the look tailored. The stools are bolted in place. “With family life, it’s busy — kids leave stools everywhere, so I decided we’re going to fix them to the ground,” Ristevski says. “So they don’t move and I have my symmetry all day long.”
“The bar and its shelving were custom-made to my design, with LED strip lighting and a smoked mirror inserted as the [backsplash],” Ristevski says. The curved bar underlit with LED strip lighting adds to the moody, hotel-bar vibe.
“We discovered the concrete ceiling downstairs when we peeled back the plaster,” Ristevski says. “We decided to leave this authentic finish, complete with drawing and writing on it.”
“We discovered the concrete ceiling downstairs when we peeled back the plaster,” Ristevski says. “We decided to leave this authentic finish, complete with drawing and writing on it.”
A view of the butler’s pantry.
In the dining area off the kitchen, a textured creamy brick wall forms a backdrop to vintage green chairs and a grouping of Asian-style rice paper pendants from the Formakami series by the Danish design company &Tradition. “With the ceiling height in this space, I decided I wanted to bring in some drama with pendant lighting,” Ristevski says.
The family wanted to do something different and special for their labradoodle, so decided to create a stylish arched dog door to the backyard.
A painting of a cat on an Eames chair by Australian artist Linda Kruger hangs on the wall.
The family wanted to do something different and special for their labradoodle, so decided to create a stylish arched dog door to the backyard.
A painting of a cat on an Eames chair by Australian artist Linda Kruger hangs on the wall.
The compact swimming pool is the focal point of the newly created outdoor area. “It’s tight but it works,” Ristevski says. “We designed a pool fence in steel with glass gates at either end. This allows air to flow through and makes the backyard feel larger. It was the best decision —I love the fence.
“I selected pool-friendly weeping lilly pilly with ground cover on the pool perimeter, which work brilliantly. And the retro-style yellow-and-white Basil Bangs umbrella carries the fun outside.”
“I selected pool-friendly weeping lilly pilly with ground cover on the pool perimeter, which work brilliantly. And the retro-style yellow-and-white Basil Bangs umbrella carries the fun outside.”
Formed concrete coping surrounds the pool. An outdoor shower is at the end near the home. “It gets used pretty much every day in the summer and throughout the winter as well,” Ristevski says. “And it’s also amazing for if you bring the dog home from the beach and she needs a wash.”
To keep costs down, Ristevski relied on her creative skills to overhaul the backyard. “I designed the backyard, researched the plants and planted them myself,” she says.
A stylish home office features vintage-style wood furniture and vertical white tongue-and-groove walls.
The younger son’s bedroom features an irresistibly fun ceiling net. “We opened up the roof space and plastered it to create a net you can sit or lie in, just for fun for the kids and their friends,” Ristevski says.
The older son’s bedroom features tongue-and-groove paneling around a raised study area.
Nearby, black tongue-and-groove paneling forms a stylish headboard.
In the family movie room, tiered seating and an inky blue color scheme create the perfect mood.
In the laundry room, black walls and geometric floor tile create dramatic style.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Here’s a look at the building prior to the renovations.
Another look inside the building before renovation.
A compact kitchen sits in a former office space.
Here’s a look at the ground floor layout of the new home. The kitchen is in the center, the living room at the bottom center. To the left is the outdoor pool area.
The couple also wanted to make home life easier for their dog, who they call their “fifth family member.” That included adding a home for her under the stairs (center right), a dog-washing station in the laundry room (top right) and the arched dog door in the dining room (center) that fit the designer feel of the rest of the home.
The couple also wanted to make home life easier for their dog, who they call their “fifth family member.” That included adding a home for her under the stairs (center right), a dog-washing station in the laundry room (top right) and the arched dog door in the dining room (center) that fit the designer feel of the rest of the home.
The second floor contains the boys’ bedrooms. “The boys use the gym a lot, which is where we thought the art room would be,” Ristevski says.
The couple’s bedroom is on the third level.
Behind the house is a one-bedroom cottage the couple renovated and initially used as a vacation rental. Now with the pandemic, they lease it out on a long-term basis.
“I’d always wanted to set up and run accommodation, so we separated the properties out, giving the cottage its own private entrance,” Ristevski says. “It’s a great income stream and was so much fun to run when we could.”
More on Houzz
Tour more modern homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
Behind the house is a one-bedroom cottage the couple renovated and initially used as a vacation rental. Now with the pandemic, they lease it out on a long-term basis.
“I’d always wanted to set up and run accommodation, so we separated the properties out, giving the cottage its own private entrance,” Ristevski says. “It’s a great income stream and was so much fun to run when we could.”
More on Houzz
Tour more modern homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
Related Stories
Contemporary Homes
Houzz Tour: Boston Pied-à-Terre Designed for Evenings
By Becky Harris
A designer found on Houzz infuses a condo with a sultry vibe inspired by supper clubs and luxe boutique hotels
Full Story
Guesthouses
Houzz Tour: Light-Filled 704-Square-Foot Modern Cottage
By Becky Harris
An architect and a designer create a light and airy feel, cozied up by layers of textures
Full Story
Outbuildings
Family Gatherings in Argentina Inspire a Pavilion and Guesthouse
By Becky Harris
A new yard adds room for hosting, swimming and bringing part of one homeowner’s culture to her family’s Seattle home
Full Story
Transitional Homes
Houzz Tour: Organic Style on an Avocado Ranch
By Becky Harris
A designer uses a soft neutral palette, handmade tile and reclaimed wood to update a 1980s contemporary home
Full Story
Transitional Homes
Houzz Tour: Elegant, Earthy Ranch House for an Empty-Nest Couple
Design styles, warm neutral colors and special details blend in a Minnesota ranch-style house with a finished basement
Full Story
Contemporary Homes
Houzz Tour: Colorado Forever Home Is a Family Affair
By Becky Harris
The mountain home was designed for gatherings and to make the most of views of Pikes Peak and surroundings
Full Story
Contemporary Homes
Houzz Tour: Open and Inviting Mountain Home Near Lake Tahoe
By Becky Harris
A designer creates a warmly minimalist California getaway that can stand up to snow and mud
Full Story
Homes Around the World
Houzz Tour: Period Home Gains Color and Character
By Kate Burt
Before-and-after photos show how a bold palette and restored features bring warmth and personality to this English house
Full Story
Modern Homes
Houzz Tour: New Home Gets a Midcentury Modern Makeover
By Julie Sheer
A designer in Boston reworks the kitchen and primary suite and adds style with furnishings, lighting and more
Full Story
Barn Homes
Houzz Tour: Old Barns Become an Airy, Modern-Rustic Home
A barn home in Devon, England, sits lightly on the land and offers simple, relaxing spaces for an extended family
Full Story
I love this.
Beautiful design but still homely. I'd steal loads of these ideas if I had the skills and budget lol, particularly the kids net.
Absolutely stunning! You can see that every detail has been perfectly thought-out... Loved seeing the before photos too to get a real idea on the complete transformation. Well done team - you should be incredibly proud of this job.
Bolting down the stools for constant symmetry - genius :)