Lowe Living’s Emerald Place display suite has picked up two awards in the Master Builders’ Victoria Building Excellence Awards.

Designed by Woods Bagot, the boutique development draws inspiration from the rich architectural history of South Melbourne, reinterpreting characteristic heritage details with renewed relevance and charm.

Architecture and interior design coalesce in the built form, with architectural motifs echoed in the internal spaces, from the polychromatic brickwork to the art deco references that celebrate the ubiquitous corner public houses of the local area.

The display suite has been imagined as a series of thresholds, moving through a sequence of increasingly private spaces, from the street-facing shopfront to the permeable living spaces, graduating into the sequestered bedroom and bathroom.

Drawing visitors off the busy street, the shopfront acts as a portal to the interior, where the entry foyer offers a scale model of the future Emerald Place development.

Beyond each successive threshold, porosity gives way to private retreat, with fixtures and fittings signalling elevated domesticity and intimate grandeur.

Borrowing from local heritage precedents, the architecture mimics the rhythm, scale and proportion of the existing buildings. Inside and out, the designers have placed an emphasis on quality, enduring materials, from textured taupe stone to real timber finishes.

The floorplan ushers in natural light, grounded by a central sculptural island bench. With lofty internal ceiling heights paired with human-scale fixtures and furnishings, Emerald Place achieves a delicate equilibrium of comfortable luxury, creating moments of visual splendour and sumptuous detail with seamless functionality and intuitiveness.

The residential development’s stepped terracotta brickwork on the podium level piers is drawn into the interior spaces though the internal texture and tiling. Stepped forms of the polychromatic brickwork (a characteristic detail of South Melbourne architecture) are echoed in fine interior details, through the finger tiles in the vanity to the bespoke stepped detailing in the marble kitchen island.

“Our design takes a cohesive approach to interiors and architecture, combining classic art deco details with contemporary Australian sensibility,” says Woods Bagot Principal Ana Sá. “Generous portions and sleek lines reference European elegance while a warm palette of natural stone and engineered timber curate a distinctly local response to its South Melbourne context.” 

The kitchen design features bespoke materiality with honed natural stone across the three-meter island bench, countertops, and splashback for visual refinement and resilience.

“We’ve selected honest and durable materials that evoke a sense of nostalgia while reimagining heritage details with contemporary elegance,” adds interior design leader and W-B associate Tahlia Landrigan. “Soft rendered walls, natural stone, stainless steel finishes and porcelain tiles were selected for their timelessness and endurance, combining opulence with robust functionality.” 

Lowe Living says the project is envisioned as a contemporary icon inspired by South Melbourne’s historic brick-built structures. The boutique development features 36 luxury homes and three levels of commercial spaces, with select units offering bay glimpses, all unified by a theme of modern luxury.

Emerald Place received awards for Best Kitchen in a Display Home, along with Best Display Home category at the Master Builders Association of Victoria‘s Excellence in Housing Awards.

Emerald Place is located at 182-200 Clarendon Street and is slated for completion in 2026. Construction is underway and residences are now 50 percent sold. For more information visit loweliving.com.au

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Isla Sutherland
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