223 Napier Street | Freadman White

In keeping with their commitment to crafting projects that both embrace and enhance their environ, 223 Napier Street wholly engages with its historic locale. Partnering with architects Freadman White and a gifted team of collaborators, Milieu has imagined a collection of 14 homes offering timeless appeal; their modernist vernacular significantly contributing to the streetscape of Fitzroy’s ‘Golden Triangle’.

Freadman White’s intellectual rigour and attention to small gestures elevate the overall outcome. Building on Melbourne’s unique urban texture with a sensitive design response inspired by Australian modernism, Napier Street’s homes are defined by spatial intelligence. Drawing inspiration from Heide II, the former home of Sunday and John Reed by designer McGlashan Everist, Freadman White’s reinterpretation echoes principles found in the finest modernist buildings.

Robust materiality, unmistakably Australian and chosen for its organic beauty, offers understated sophistication that encourages tranquil repose. Expressed through a sequence of zones, the palette invites retreat from the vibrant activity of. outside city life.

A minimalist, angular façade is softened with the transparency and reflection of vertical glazed windows. Sliding open they are flanked by irregular screening of perforated brickwork, breaking up the exterior, greenery designed to cascade over time, inviting the outside in.

An unfolding sense of arrival takes cues from European modernist living, with each apartment enjoying access and cross flow ventilation through a series of open air pathways. Refined material details are thoughtfully employed to enhance the experience, marking a journey through lush external greenery and a calming flow from front gate to front door and beyond.

Brass, a recurring accent used to invoke a sense of occasion, enlivens the front gate, mailboxes and private mail collection area. Designed with an artisanal. eye, the front door of each apartment combines glass, timber and brass numbering, evoking a repeated sense of grandeur for the entrant and setting the tone for the narrative within.

The prominent grain of European oak flooring throughout the interior is offset by the polish and contrast of terrazzo tiling in the bathrooms, 2.9 high exposed concrete ceilings, and honed Elba natural stone benchtops.

Feature joinery sees each element designed and constructed with a thorough consideration of functionality and beauty. Refined woodwork is paired with brushed brass shelving and brass joinery pulls. The interior narrative is complemented with Smeg appliances and Brodware tapware.

Melbourne’s cultural life and design history is an enduring source of inspiration for

Milieu and their chosen collaborators. Driven to create spaces that positively contribute to individuals and their surrounds, 223 Napier Street is a refined, valuable response to context, offering occupants a sense of home, close to the city.