48 Canning Street, North Melbourne, Vic 3051

Crafting a show-stopping masterpiece of modern design, Krisna Cheung Architects have ingeniously redefined the boundaries of family living amid the compact constraints of the urban inner city. Its striking black exterior instantly captures the eye, exuding modern elegance while sitting at one within its natural environs.

Inside, a towering 5.5m void, precision-placed windows, and a black-and-white colour palette creates a playful dance of natural light and leafy vistas through its voluminous space. The minimalist design erases bulky architraves and cornices, instead using clean crisp lines and a blend of concrete, timber, and metal surfaces, in a stylish nod to the industrial buildings that once graced its surrounds.

With a focus on finesse and functionality, the vast open plan layout offers space for family and friends to gather for relaxation and dining, all while hiding abundant storage, including a butler’s pantry and laundry behind a Spotted Gum wall. The kitchen unites black moody cabinetry with glistening stainless-steel benches, providing a wide Bertazzoni stove, an Asko dishwasher, and a central island prep-bench.

Hemmed by full height, glazed sliding doors, the exposed aggregate concrete floors flow seamlessly to the outdoors, indulging indoor-outdoor entertaining amid northerly landscaped gardens, while also providing side-street vehicle access.

A spacious library acts as a second living domain, inviting quiet retreat with a good book from the wall of shelving, and also offering a private space for home-based work.

Upstairs, an open-air deck is centrally placed, providing a tranquil sanctuary to watch the sun set over the treetops at day’s end. At one side, the kids’ domain provides three generous robed bedrooms with study desks and fitted robes, plus a chic family bathroom, and a balcony retreat to two of those bedrooms. On the other side, parents are pampered with their own balcony, plus a walk-in robe and a private ensuite with a luxe bathtub.

Finished with a large workshop/bike shed, plus all the trimmings for sustainable living, the home is situated to promote a leisurely family lifestyle, surrounded by cosy cafés, takeouts, and supermarkets, leading hospitals, Royal Park, University High School, and city-bound trams and the soon-to-be Arden station, while an easy stroll from Errol Street shopping, Queen Victoria market, and the endless indulgences of the CBD.