Cross-Stitch House, Melbourne Property, Residential Interior, Australian Home, Architecture Images
Cross-Stitch House in Melbourne
30 Oct 2020
Cross-Stitch House
Design: FMD Architects
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The brief for Cross-Stitch House was to create new Living spaces, relocate the kitchen and bathroom and improve access to natural light. The functional requirements of the client were simple. The only particular requirement was to find a place in the design for 3 tapestries that her mother had made.

Our design strategy is always to celebrate the particularities of the project, so while exploring the tradition of tapestry and stitching techniques, the concept of stitching the new house form to the old established the design approach.
The timber beams form the thread which stitches the living room to the existing house, then beyond to the western courtyard. The timber beams converge into a large timber column, reminiscent of a bobbin thread. Within the courtyard a mirror is positioned strategically at the end of the threads to extend the space and create a sense of unravelling. The timber threads twist over the western façade to provide added shading to the Living area which will soon be overgrown over by greenery.

At the end of the outdoor beams, one extends over the width of the site to reinforce the formal house outline while also representing the tie off of a tapestry. This form is in turn is reiterated in the landscape paving as well as the jo...