The founder of John Wardle Architects has remodelled Kew Residence, his Melbourne home of 25 years, using Victorian ash and handmade glazed tiles from Japan.
John Wardle and his wife Susan have owned the two-storey house, which has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 house interior of the year, for a quarter of a century and renovated it multiple times.
Wardle has owned Kew Residence for 25 years
"My first year of practice coincided with my first year of homeownership," he told Dezeen.
"I undertook the pre-purchase inspection of the house and completely missed the tell-tale sign of termite infestation throughout which required a more substantial re-build than first anticipated!" he added.
"Three children wore out the last iteration." Victorian ash lines the walls, floors and ceilings
With the couple's adult children now grown up and moved out, the kitchen and the first-floor study became the focal point of the house.  For this version of Kew Residence, the architect focused on creating spaces to display his art collection.
"Of particular interest to me is the study especially during this time in lockdown, as I spend just about all my daylight hours solely in this space," said Wardle.
Here, built-in shelves form an informal display for the couple's collection of ceramic art and sculpture.
Built-in bookshelves line the study
Victorian ash clads the floors and ceiling to create the sensation of a "cocoon" with views of the...