Apartments

A Look Inside The Fitzroy Chocolate Factory Turned 'Old-School' Apartments!

The former MacRobertson confectionery factory in Fitzroy is one of Melbourne’s most famous — and coveted — historical apartment buildings.

The complex stems back to the 1880s, when the city’s own Willy Wonky-type entrepreneur, Sir Macpherson Robertson, created a village of warehouse buildings, once used to manufacture the first Cherry Ripes and Freddo Frogs, before his business was sold to Cadbury in 1967.

Most of the buildings are still standing today, having been converted into apartments in the late ’90s. Thankfully, the buildings have retained all their original industrial charm, with exposed bricks, timber beams and dreamy inner-city views.

We recently visited three of the very different homes inside this uniquely Melbourne apartment complex!

Written
by
Christina Karras

The converted MacRobertson confectionery factory is now home to a maze of residential apartments, spread across multiple buildings. A look into the second floor mezzanine which can be access by an old workers elevator!

Communications manager Lauren Bruce, civil engineer Hannah McNeill and their dog Rosie inside their ground-floor apartment. Studio K lamp by Planet Lighting. Photography – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli

 

Armchair from Tessa Furniture. The Frame TV by Samsung. Custom plywood shelving by Like Butter. Photography – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli

Armchair from Tessa Furniture. Built-in sofa with custom-made sofa cushions. Custom plywood shelving by Like Butter. Coffee table made by homeowner Hannah McNeill. 1970s Yamaha audio equipment. Encel amplifier.  Black and white vase by Patrick Dagg. Cream ceramic building block set by Oh Hey Grace. The Frame TV by Samsung. Photography – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli

About Space pendant light. TH Brown stools from Grandfather’s Axe. White vase from Flowers Vasette. Alessi kettle. Mauviel copper pot lids. Gewurzhaus spice jars, storage jars and butter dish. Assorted glassware from Riedel, Krosno, Fazeek, and Hay. Daisy mugs by Takeawei Ceramics. Photography – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli

Table and bench from Coco Flip. Flowers by Alchemy Orange. Salt and pepper shakers from Geelong Mill Market. Pendant light by Takeawei Ceramics. Photography – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli

The open-air entrance and spaces between the apartments is where you ‘get a real sense of its factory history’, Lauren says. This common area connects the Kerr Street portion of the warehouse to the Rose Street buildings. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

A red fire-escape stairwell is another industrial nod to the building’s rich history. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Amel Masinovic, partner Meg and their two-month old son inside their apartment. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Being on the upper corner of the building means they get some special city views from their charming wrap-around balcony! Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Wide windows around the upstairs dining room flood the home with natural light. Chairs by Southwood Home. Dining table by Globe West.

The timber kitchen was designed by Andrew Simpson. Stools made from Australian blackbutt wood by Southwood Home. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

The inside of the building doesn’t give away the scale of the homes inside! Amel’s apartment hides soaring ceilings and three bedrooms, spread across two levels. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

The beautiful ‘old-school’ windows are a defining feature of every apartment. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

A unique timber structure separates the living room from the third bedroom, closed off from the rest of the apartment. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

By 1900, MacRoberton’s business had swallowed up several blocks of Fitzroy real estate, adding more buildings to the factory over time. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

‘The building has a style that feels like it will never get old’

Amel Masinovic

Each building was painted a fresh white to contrast with the industrial streets of Fitzroy. Across the street is one of Melbourne’s most popular pubs, the Marquis Of Lorne! Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Inside Bronni and Mark Krieger’s apartment, styled with old and new furniture. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

‘The stairwell window has views of the internal courtyard adjoining the two buildings between Rose St and Kerr St,’ Bronni says. ‘We get to enjoy the sunlight, original brickwork and architecture of the 1880s chocolate factory building.’ Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Artwork from left: Portrait by Celeste Chandler. Portrait by Paula J Hunt. Leather couch from Schotts Emporium. Velvet arm chairs from Lounge Lovers. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Artwork by Bronni Krieger — who often paints from her apartment! Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files. Styling – Sarah Hendricks

Writer
Christina Karras
21st of June 2023

Stepping inside the old MacRobertson confectionery factory feels like stepping back in time.

In the 1880s, the unique complex was once part of local chocolatier Sir Macpherson Robertson’s namesake empire, made up of several buildings and blocks sprinkled across Fitzroy, with ‘MacRobertson’ sprawled on the outside. The businessman might not be a household name, but he’s credited with creating some of Australia’s most famous chocolates, including the Freddo Frog and Cherry Ripe!

Today, the expansive complex is now home to some of Melbourne’s most coveted warehouse apartments, with buyers often lining up around the block whenever one hits the market. This was the intimidating scene Lauren Bruce and her wife Hannah McNeill saw when they came to the first inspection of their two-bedroom, loft-style apartment, back in 2020.

‘The history of this building, and its related quirks, was one of the main things that drew me to it,’ Lauren says. Despite being converted into apartments in the late ‘90s, not a lot has changed about the building’s architecture. Red brick, exposed beams overhead and an endearing red fire-escape staircase give you a sense of what the chocolate factory was like before it was transformed into a residential building.

‘I love the height of the ceiling and the light streaming down from the skylights,’ Lauren adds. ‘Our apartment is actually the lowest point of the building… being on the ground floor means we have these beautiful original concrete floors, and these fantastic, grand industrial windows that let in really beautiful light.’

But each of the apartments — connected by a maze-like mezzanine on the upper floors — is different from the next.

Fellow resident, lawyer Amel Masinovic and partner Meg also moved into the building during the pandemic. After inspecting an apartment on a whim, they ‘fell in love with the place’ and are now raising their two-month old son there too. ‘We moved in during one of the last Covid-19 lockdowns, and the extra space and large balcony were a huge draw for our weary minds!’

Located on one of the upper levels on the northeast corner, their home is made up of two combined apartments, hiding three-bedrooms, and four-bathrooms across two floors, with timber-rich interiors and surprisingly soaring ceilings! There’s even a quirky wooden structure which encloses one of the bedrooms, turning it into a self-contained space complete with a kitchenette.

‘Our apartment has a wrap-around balcony that sets it apart from the rest,’ Amel says. ‘From our apartment we can see eastern Fitzroy towards Collingwood, and further past the high-rise buildings we can see the hills to the east.’

He says that beyond the building’s old-school warehouse windows and enduring style that feels like ‘it’ll never get old’, there’s also a friendly familiarity between the residents, who often pass each other in Brunswick Street and Smith Street’s cafes, restaurants and nearby parks.

When airline pilot Mark and visual artist Bronni Krieger were downsizing almost a decade ago, they knew they wanted to live in a vibrant artistic community — Fitzroy was a natural choice. They came across a quiet, two-bedroom apartment in the building with an ‘inward design’, that was a great blank canvas for them to call home for their next chapter.

‘The apartment had not been touched since the 1990’s and therefore deserved a complete rework of the internal cosmetics and a little structural change,’ Bronni says. After removing some internal walls and opening up the space, the cosy apartment is a perfect backdrop for their eclectic art collection and vintage furniture.

The couple say it’s big enough for just the two of them, but living in the former chocolate factory means they’re not short on places to meet up with friends and family, they just do so outside their apartment’s industrial walls. After all, the lifestyle is one of the best parts of living in the inner-city, even if you have to give up a little extra space.

‘A living space should be practical, aesthetically enjoyable and provide a space for life,’ Bronni notes. ‘We find our little place exactly that.’

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