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Fleur Glenn has lived on this Clifton Hill block for the past 30 years, across multiple dwellings. Two years ago, she subdivided the block to build her ideal treehouse-inspired home. She explains, ‘I moved into the new house in August 2018, and it feels so luxurious and wonderful.’
The design of this idiosyncratic home developed in an appropriately unconventional way, as Fleur sought out her daughter’s friend Murray as the architect for the project. Fleur explains that she had met Murray socially, and ‘knew he was a brave architect and I looked at a few things he had done. I liked his aesthetic and his calm, attentive manner.’ Importantly, Fleur knew Murray would be responsive to her ideas, and she wouldn’t ‘feel pushed into a house design that really wasn’t me.’
The project brief was for a tree house, and Murray explains, ‘Fleur had her own interesting ideas for the type of home she wanted to build!’ As his first solo architectural project, Murray highlights that he was ‘initially daunted by the task of taking on a full new build, but Fleur’s trust gave me confidence.’ Murray advocated for a varied spatial plan, that respected Fleur’s desire for a modest size, but introduced variety to the compact footprint. The clean and considered lines of the building offer sites of retreat, as well as zones for sharing with family and friends.
Fleur enthuses ‘I could go on and on about the things I love about this house.’ Particularly special elements include the bookcase-lined staircase, sitting among the branches in the treehouse study, the little seat by the front door to take off shoes, and the upstairs bathroom where she can lie back and watch the clouds roll by. In the mornings, after waking up and taking the newspaper and a cup of coffee back to bed before work, Fleur says ‘I feel like I am in a luxury hotel.’
The success of the project can be attributed to the generosity and integrity of all parties involved. Fleur’s final endorsement of Murray and Hamish from Sanctum Homes is emphatic – ‘they became friends. I miss them now they are gone, and I wish I could build something new with them again. I think we made a good team.’ Teamwork, truly makes the dream work!
*If today’s home has inspired you, please take a moment to roll your mouse over each photo above, and read the detailed captions and wonderful anecdotes Fleur has shared to accompany our photographs!
