Boroondara is where the practice began and where it lives: the studio occupies an early-1900s shopfront at 234 Auburn Road, Hawthorn. Its suburbs share a character of deep blocks, mature trees and houses from the Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war decades, many of them in heritage precincts. The common question here is whether to keep and extend an old house or to replace it, and the answer depends on the overlay, the block and what the family wants from the house.
Recent projects include Lynden and Ebon House in Camberwell, Faversham in Canterbury, and Rosedale and Ferndale in Glen Iris — a mix of new family homes and houses rebuilt behind established gardens. Rosedale, completed in 2024 for a multigenerational household, and Lynden, where the brickwork carries the character of the house, show the range.
Projects in the area
Planning in Boroondara
Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Camberwell, Canterbury, Kew and Balwyn are in the City of Boroondara; Glen Iris is split between Boroondara and Stonnington. Boroondara has some of the most extensive Heritage Overlays in Melbourne — in parts of Hawthorn and Kew most properties are covered — and applies the Neighbourhood Residential Zone widely, which limits houses to two storeys and sets site-coverage and garden-area requirements.
In a Heritage Overlay, demolition and any works visible from the street need a permit, and council's heritage advisor considers how a new house or an extension sits beside its neighbours: a contributory house can usually be extended at the rear and above, while a non-contributory one may be replaced. Significant trees on the block and on the nature strip are protected under council's local law, and Camberwell Junction and Glenferrie Road carry Design and Development Overlays that set different rules close to the shops.
We begin every Boroondara project with a planning assessment — zone, overlays, the heritage grading of the existing house and the trees — so the decision between renovating and rebuilding is made on the real constraints. Our guide to that choice is linked below.
Working with us here
Projects here range from the renovation and extension of a period house to a new home on a cleared block. Because the studio is local, site visits are frequent and quick, and we know the planners, the heritage advisors and the builders who work in these streets.