Holbrooke House is a contemporary family residence that interprets the needs of modern living through a refined reinterpretation of early 20th-century design. Designed by Melbourne-based interior designer Brahman Perera and completed in 2024, the house stands on a sloping plot in West Brunswick, a short walk from a green area and a waterway, establishing a natural and spontaneous dialogue with its surroundings.

The project stems from the desire to create a space capable of accommodating experiences, memories and new needs over time, designed for a growing family. Perera’s approach avoids any literal references to Art Deco, preferring to extract its formal and material principles and translate them into a contemporary language, made up of balanced proportions, sculptural details and refined combinations.

The generous presence of natural light guided the choice of an intense and sophisticated material palette, composed of dark woods, aged brass, stones with different textures, mineral surfaces and parquet flooring. The strong verticality of the architecture, which extends from the basement to the roof terrace garden, made it essential to ensure fluidity of movement and organisation of spaces, articulated through careful zoning defined by lighting and material finishes.

On the ground floor, the layout distinguishes a more formal area facing the street from a more informal living and dining area at the rear, designed for socialising. The first floor houses the bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, while the basement is dedicated to leisure and service functions, with a children’s playroom, a home gym and a wine cellar. The kitchen, which is spacious and generous in size, has also been designed to suit both everyday use and entertaining, thanks to its division into several working areas and a separate service kitchen.

A distinctive feature of the project is the carpentry work, conceived not as a simple container but as a veritable collection of furnishing elements. Treating wardrobes and storage systems as autonomous design pieces has made it possible to reinterpret Art Deco gestures in a contemporary key, introducing unexpected details and sculptural forms that are perfectly integrated into everyday life. The discreet layering of different combinations of stone accompanies and refines the open spaces, anchoring them in a soft and enveloping tone.

In this balance between matter, light and architecture, lighting plays a central role. The Novecento pendant lamp with a white Rigadin diffuser was chosen as a decorative light source in both the living area and the master bedroom, helping to define the spaces and reinforce their identity with an elegant and measured presence.

Novecento was born from the desire to reinterpret the traditional Murano chandelier in a contemporary key. Its fluid and essential shapes recall the classicism of the Venetian candlestick, reinterpreted through a modern and timeless design. The glass, available in transparent crystal or white rigadin finishes, is crossed by subtle radial striations that create a vibrant and precious luminous effect. Available in three sizes and also in ceiling, table and floor versions, Novecento fits naturally into refined projects such as Holbrooke House, helping to create elegant, coherent and harmoniously coordinated environments.