Inside the stunning homes three Melbourne architects designed for themselves

Architects dedicate their careers to designing for others. But when the tables turn, and they conceive their own home, it may become a testing ground, a theoretical display or an example that clients want to emulate.

For architect Martin Friedrich, designing his newly listed family home at 58A Champion Street in Brighton brought his philosophies to life, but within reason. Although the townhouse reflects his and wife Claire Friedrich’s tastes and design language, they considered what would make it sellable. “It’s market driven; we wanted to have the elements that people have in a private house,” he says.

When creative freedom meets this practical nous, the outcome can be inspirational. “It’s our most successful project in some ways, and we’ve had a lot of clients who have said, ‘Absolutely, we’re having one like this,’” Martin says.

The couple are selling the sculptural, four-bedroom property, named The Atrium House, through Kay & Burton. Its striking internal atrium is a calling card for clients of Martin Friedrich Architects. “It’s become a major part of what we do now – putting a central atrium in houses,” Martin says.

The atrium is visually spectacular, and connects family members wherever they are in the home. “Because the heart of the house is the glazed atrium, really we’re all together,” Claire says. “We can always see each other.”

Martin examined how lighting would play off the atrium. “We didn’t want to use down lights, so we created LED lights that wrap around the walls,” he says.

“I went to the house when it was just at frame stage with my associate, and we covered the walls at night in paper and stuck the LED lights at the top, and we experimented to see how they would work.

“We knew we created something really special.”

Kay & Burton’s Matthew Pillios is guiding $5.7 million to $6.25 million for the property. He says prospective buyers are drawn to the cachet and quality of buying an architect’s own abode.

“There have been a lot of fans who wanted to come and see it for inspiration,” he says. “It’s got people talking. They say, ‘We’ve always wanted Martin to build us a house, but now we can actually buy his house.’”

There is an element of fascination – and satisfaction – when architects flip the brief onto themselves.

Feras Raffoul, principal of FGR Architects, has proposed an all-stone kitchen to past clients, but they hesitated because they wanted to see a precedent. Now, they can experience it in his family home, Concrete Curtain at 27 Jackson Street in Toorak, which is on the market through Marshall White.

The kitchen is an edge-to-edge study in the beauty of Aquarzo quartzite. “When we push the realms of architecture and interiors and present those to clients, they say, ‘I like the idea, but have you done that before?’” Raffoul says. “Now, it is a signature item.”

Concrete Curtain was a finalist at the 2023 World Architectural Festival Awards. It is the second home Raffoul has designed for himself but the first alongside his wife, architect Sarah Chang-Raffoul. “You’re able to refine it because then there are two sets of eyes,” he says. “We looked at each other about three months after we moved in, and decided we wouldn’t do anything differently.”

The home takes its name from the columns that veil the facade for privacy. The concrete throughout is a blend of white and grey and so instead of leaning severe and dour, it’s graceful and warm. “The interiors have surprised people,” Raffoul says. “The mindset is that concrete is brutalist, but we’ve been able to use that product to provide a very soft, calm and elegant outcome.

“What we’ve done internally has really changed people’s viewpoint.”

However, the value has not been in creating a showpiece, but in understanding how the design functions, especially with two young children. “Presenting something like this is one part, but living in it for the last three years and using it day in, day out, that’s by far the most important,” Raffoul says.

“I feel that architecture has gone down a path where everyone looks at a product and judges it purely on its visuals. No one really understands how well that architecture is behaving for the occupants. For me, that is very high on the agenda.”

Marcus Chiminello, of Marshall White, is handling the sale, with a guide of $12.5 million to $13.5 million. Chiminello says it is where “design and liveability” unite. “It pairs a striking concrete facade with light-filled interiors and refined natural materials, creating a home that feels both architecturally significant and wonderfully comfortable to live in,” he says.

Architects are natural problem solvers. Jos Tan took a conundrum and designed the Mary Poppins carpet bag of urban homes.

Tan and his partner were house hunting and dismayed by poor-quality inner-city housing. Melville, their three-bedroom Brunswick West property, was a response.

The three-storey home, finished in 2023, packs plenty on a 90-square-metre site. The principal of Tan Architecture did not stray far from his usual design process because budgets, constraints and opportunities are a typical playbook.

The home includes a rooftop deck, two living areas, two bathrooms and a study. A dedicated bike garage, behind a galvanised steel door that opens onto the street, was a particular desire that Tan incorporated.

“I think just about every house I’ve lived in in the past never had any real consideration given to bike storage,” he says.

Tan was conservative with materials and tones, to ensure long-term enjoyment. “I liked the idea of keeping things neutral and simple, and then letting our lives fill in the colour and the texture,” he says.

Designing for himself meant faster decisions. “Sometimes even on the fly, which was quite important during construction,” he says.

However, collaborating with a client was an aspect he keenly missed. “I enjoy that process of incorporating their ideas and their tastes into the project,” Tan says.

“Often, that produces delightful results – one that is greater than the sum of its parts.”