Clare Cousins: Architecture & Interior Design

Distinguished by its vibrant slatted screen, this two-bedroom unit at the rear of a modest apartment block in Prahran enlivens its urban setting while maintaining the privacy of both occupants and neighbours.

On a small, disused plot, with a southerly aspect and no off-street parking or rear access, the insertion makes the most of an otherwise redundant parcel of land. Overcoming the site’s inherent challenges, the two-storey dwelling features living downstairs and two modest bedrooms upstairs.

The scale of these rooms is compensated by floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glazing screened by the ‘Z’ perlin screen, which allows views of urban rooftops from inside, but protects neighbourhood privacy.

Extending beyond the width of the first floor structure, the screen conceals the building setback from the rear and extends below the ground floor living room ceiling to be glimpsed from the inside. The random colour arrangement contrasts with its setting, creating a depth of colour and expressing its horizontality.

The body of the building, essentially a windowless face-brick box, is painted black to provide a neutral but textured backdrop to the screen and reference the original 1940’s apartment building, also painted face brick.