Architecture & Interiors

First published in Belle Magazine (1978), the Borland Crossman House is a restoration and adaptive reimagining of a Kevin Borland modernist gem in Glen Iris. This renovation to a 1970s “nuts and berries” rustic and decidedly Australian semi-brutalist brick and timber project is an exemplar of heritage and sustainability. WOWOWA carefully disassembled elements that no longer served a contemporary family, stitching them back in a way that feels both fresh and deeply respectful, balancing technical carbon-reductive rigor with architectural whimsy.

The design centers on the iconic double-height, fern-filled internal garden atrium, shielded by an east-facing slatted shade structure. Acting as custodians, the clients prioritized circularity, opting for painstaking restoration over replacement. This commitment is visible in precise spatial interventions, such as shifting a faceted half-circle window suite 800mm to accommodate an eight-person dining table. A delicious array of colors—primary red, yellow, and Blue—is accompanied by dusty mustard, mission brown, and a gorgeous crane wallpaper, nodding to the Robin Boyd Japanese era that facilitated a uniquely Australian fusion to the Melbourne modernist paradigm.