Kister Architects turns 1910 Melbourne milk bar into family home with courtyard entrance

Kister Architects has converted a 1910 corner shop in Melbourne's Prahran suburb into a three-storey family home for founder Ilana Kister and her daughters. The original 287-square-metre plot was combined with an adjacent 90-square-metre site acquired during construction. The shopfront facade and bottle-green tiles were preserved, while street-facing windows were replaced with glass bricks. The entrance opens onto a lush internal courtyard, which Kister called the project's most important decision. The home features green roofs, vertical gardens, planted internal screens, a white perforated steel staircase illuminated by triangular skylights, and oak-lined interiors. On the second floor are three bedrooms, an en-suite, a family bathroom, and a living space. The third floor contains an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area opening onto a deck overlooking Melbourne's skyline. A large back garden includes an outdoor seating area, decking, and a swimming pool. The external palette combines grey and black render with silvertop ash timber cladding and climbing vegetation. Photography is by Peter Bennetts.