Frankston House by ae architects
Architect, interior designer and ae architects co-founder, Elise Jeffree, transformed a dilapidated 1960s shack in Melbourne’s Frankston South into a charming home for her family.
WORDS: Hande Renshaw I PHOTOGRAPHY: Martina Gemmola I ARCHITECT: ae aachtiects I BUILDER: SGR Construction
Elise Jeffree and Anna Nguyen, ae architects co founders.
Pops of Laminex Steel Blue can be found throughout the interior, visually connecting the spaces.
Joinery in Laminex Steel Blue is featured throughout the home, including the kitchen, laundry and dining room. ‘Go hard, or go home!’ says Elise Jeffree of the design decision.
‘Although this house was designed for us, I was very conscious of making sure it would translate to a range of family dynamics,’ says Elise Jeffree.
The kitchen features stainless steel benchtops.
The open plan light-filled kitchen, dining and living space.
The home is full of joyful additions—perfect for a young family.
Joinery in Laminex Steel Blue can be found throughout the home.
“Although this won’t be our ‘forever home’, I wanted to have fun—lean into the shack vibe and create a joyful space for our young family.”
The main bedroom features a calming subdued palette.
Warm timber joinery and striped tiling in the bathroom.
When Elise Jeffree, interior designer and co-founder of ae architects, first embarked on the search for a home for her young family, she had a clear idea of the ideal location. After six months of searching, the initial wish-list criteria had to be refined for a more realistic outcome.
‘After looking for six months or so and concluding the price bracket we were looking in wasn’t going to allow us to eat, let alone renovate, I adjusted my expectations and found a shack two blocks outside of our desired radius,’ shares Elise.
Frankston House, in Melbourne’s Frankston, was in complete disrepair when Elise and her husband purchased the home. For Elise, its only redeeming quality was the skillion roof, and a ‘touch of charm’!
‘It was in a price bracket we could afford, allowing us to extensively renovate without over-capitalising for the area. I had already drawn up the existing conditions and redesigned the floor plan prior to putting in an offer, so I was pretty committed,’ Elise says, ‘My husband’s only request was a garage/workshop, so naturally the house didn’t have one. But he trusted the process and my promise that I would build him one as he signed his life away,’ she adds.
Elise took on the task of designing a home for her family, a project that was both exciting and daunting. ‘Aside from budget, the options are limitless—I wanted to create a playful, yet functional space for our young family,’ says Elise.
The updated floor plan is functional and works hard for the family. Without expanding the home’s footprint, Elise managed to increase the original layout of three bedrooms and one bathroom to four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office space.
Having worked closely with her brother Simon, the builder behind SGR Construction, in the past, Elise called on him for the construction of her own home. As Simon was away at the time, Elise hustled to get permits, quotes, line up trades, order materials and have her husband complete the demolition work—ready for Simon to hit the ground running when he returned from his trip.
‘Simon has a great eye for design, we tend to work out a lot of details whilst on site—this approach worked well for us, as every time we opened up a wall, or pulled up a floor, something would require attention (and Simon would curse whoever built this house!). Being flexible and able to make decisions on the fly made the process so much more efficient. I wouldn’t have taken on such a large project without the security of doing it with him.’
Although the home isn’t to be the family’s ‘forever home’, Elise wanted to have fun with the design, leaning into the shack vibe to create a joyful space for her family. ‘When I pulled out the Laminex Steel Blue sample, everything I had been musing over fell into place. I didn’t overthink it, and we leant in,’ Elise says. All the doors and door frames, hallway (including the ceiling) were painted in the same blue. ‘I now find myself buying clothes for myself and the kids in the same tone—it’s become my whole personality,’ says Elise.
‘The tiler had stripes burnt into his retinas for weeks after finishing our bathrooms!’ shares Elise Jeffree.
One of the children’s bedrooms with views out to the garden.
‘Once you update some aspects, it makes the ones you initially thought were OK to keep look terrible in comparison. It was a balancing act,’ says Elise Jeffree of the renovating process.
The laundry joinery—also in Laminex Steel Blue.
‘I loved the skillion roof—that was the only redeeming design quality, and it had a bit of charm!’