Architects in Carlton
Carlton sits nestled at the edge of the city, but it moves at its own pace. Lygon Street still carries the rhythm of its Italian roots, with espresso bars, trattorias and the smell of fresh bread threading through conversations in half a dozen languages. Grand Victorian terraces line quiet side streets, just blocks from the university crowd spilling out of lecture halls and into bookshops. There's an intellectual pulse here, old money and new ideas sitting comfortably side by side.
In Carlton, the trees come first. Century-old planes and elms arch over the streets, filtering light before it ever reaches a window. Our approach starts by mapping that canopy: where shadow falls through the day, where gaps let winter sun through bare branches, where a north-facing room might still sit in dappled shade come summer. Deep verandahs and considered window placement respond to this rhythm rather than fight it. Materials are chosen to hold warmth against the cooler, tree-shaded aspects, while glazing captures what light does reach the block. The result is a home tuned to its street, not just its site.
The verdant streetscapes envelop the homes, revealing hidden gems and the element of surprise.
See how we responded to the landscape in our Carlton House.
In Carlton Gardens the plantings are widely mixed, including deciduous oaks, planes, elms, conifers, araucarias and broad-leafed evergreens such as Moreton Bay Figs.
What they say
"We came to the process with a rough idea and a lot of questions. What we got back was a home that felt like us, but better than we could have imagined. The team listened first, then designed. Every decision, from the light in the kitchen to the way the living areas open onto the garden, made sense once we saw it. We'd do it again in a heartbeat."
