ZEN DEN

We’ve found the perfect retreat in this Japanese-inspired Melbourne house

- STEPHEN CRAFTI

This modest house in Windsor, Melbourne, sits quietly in its streetscape. Its concrete, steel blade walls and charred-timber first floor could easily be found in Tokyo. ‘We have always admired the beautifully crafted homes you find there, in a tight urban context,’ says owner Hamish Cant, who has travelled extensively with partner Maria Rinaldi-Cant and their 16-year-old son Sebastian. Cant, who worked as an architect for many years (but is now in IT), and Rinaldi-Cant, a fashion designer, were looking to build a truly unique new home on a modest, 160 sq m site. They found a kindred spirit in Liam Eastop, director of Eastop Architects.

Eastbourne replaces a three-bedroom, Californian-style bungalow from the 1920s, while almost doubling its floor area. ‘The bungalow didn’t provide us with sufficient space and the main problem was that it lacked natural light,’ says Cant. He and his family were keen to live in a house that was bespoke and not targeted simply for resale. Rinaldi-Cant took a similar approach to the interiors as she does with fashion. ‘I wanted the house to be sophisticated but effortless, with furniture that can be easily moved, rather than restricted to one place,’ she says.