Toorak treasure:‘Cruise liner’ block of 1940s flats restored

It’s difficult reconciling the date with these modernist apartments in Toorak.

The late-1940s block in Tahara Road could easily have been built today. Designed by J.W. Rivett,it was his most well-known development.

There are few,if any,small apartments built today that benefit from views on all sides.

There are few,if any,small apartments built today that benefit from views on all sides.Rory Gardiner

Conceived in the streamlined modernist manner and evocative of a cruise liner,the Caringal Flats,as they are known,have become even more conspicuous with their recent restoration,guided by heritage architect Nigel Lewis.

From a beige tone like many of the surrounding mansions,they have been repainted in their original coral hue,no doubt raising neighbours’ eyebrows.

Fortunately,the residents,respectful of the heritage-listed flats,were keen to restore the two buildings on the site to J.W. Rivett’s vision.

“These apartments were built in a series of stages soon after they were designed in 1948,” says architect Ben Ellul,director of Ellul Architecture,who owns one of the studios in the freestanding six-level tower.

According to Ellul,when J.W. Rivett developed this scheme,“he conceived the two-bedroom flats for families,with the 58-square-metre dwellings for singles or couples”.

While the three-level flats bordering “The Lane” feature a gentle curved curtain wall of glass windows,the studios,one on each level,benefit from 360-degree views,including an impressive Melbourne skyline to the west.

“There are few,if any,small apartments built today that benefit from views on all sides,” says Ellul,who,with his partner,enjoys seeing the storms roll in as much as watching the spectacular sunsets.

J.W.Rivett’s Caringal Flats in Toorak.

J.W.Rivett’s Caringal Flats in Toorak.Rory Gardiner

When Ellul purchased his studio apartment a few years ago,some of these views were concealed by internal doors.

“The ‘bones’ were certainly all here,but the place needed to be restored and slightly reworked,” says Ellul,who replanned the flat to include more storage and a European-style laundry.

As well as restoring the steel-framed windows and chunky beams,he made the decision from the outset to make any additions in black to distinguish them from the original cream brick walls and ceiling.

So,black MDF joinery appears in the galley-style kitchen,complete with stainless-steel benches and a new piece of black joinery that separates the bedroom from the dining and living area.

To extend the sense of space,as well as create a distinction between the original and new work,the black joinery,both in the kitchen and in the living area/bedroom,is elevated on black steel legs.

New steel portals also delineate the past from the present and loosely define the open-plan arrangement.

Given the modest size of this apartment,the new joinery had to work extremely hard. The cupboards in the dining area,for example,conceal a pantry. And the return of the joinery that extends beyond the kitchen contains crockery.

Due to the large bank of windows to the west,a new steel-battened console table in the lounge conceals an airconditioning unit.

One of the niftiest elements in reworking this flat was reducing the size of the original bathroom to create a laundry and provide additional storage.

The bathroom is now accessed from the bedroom,with new terrazzo floors with flecks of coral picking up on the new exterior colour.

“I’ve tried to keep true to Rivett’s vision,but also move it on to include a few creature comforts,” says Ellul,pointing out the seamless glass shower screen and new art deco-inspired wall light.

Other material choices included using Tasmanian oak for the floors throughout,a timber that was widely used in the 1940s and ’50s.

The Caringal Flats not only come with an architectural pedigree,but also with cultural significance,including the news that eminent photographer Helmut Newton lived in one of the flats when he came to Melbourne after leaving Berlin.

Most likely,he would have seen the original coral pink that was featured,along with the pearlescent grey eaves that formed the scheme.

He would also have enjoyed the novelty of having a communal roof garden and seeing Melbourne’s skyline (although considerably less impressive at that time).

For Ellul,every square centimetre is still enjoyed,with every opportunity to make the little space available appear considerably more.

There’s even an ingenious home for the couple’s dog,Vincenzo,an Italian greyhound,whose front door is accessed by a portal within a cupboard in the entrance.

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