Alistair Knox designed over 1000 buildings in Victoria between 1946 and 1986.
He is most recognised for pioneering the design of mudbrick houses in Eltham, but there are also a handful of Knox properties further east, including this brick Croydon South house.
Head of design at Eva Tom Shaw and founder of Resonant Linda Raimondo discovered the property for sale, after being priced out of the more commonly-known Knox territory.
‘We had seen a couple of Knox houses but they were always out of our budget and then this one came up and I think it was just meant to be,’ says Tom.
Records show the house was designed in 1967 and built in 1969 for the Grinbergs family, who Tom says still live in the area today.
‘The original house was a simple two-bedroom square home, but was extended later when their kids grew older.’
True to Knox’s philosophy of utilising local skills and materials, the house was built using Brunswick bricks and Tasmanian oak, with Oregon beams.
After living in a dark inner-city terrace house, Tom and Linda were struck by the amount of natural light in the home and its setting surrounded by mature trees.
‘We also fell in love with the timber. The moment you walk in you feel a sense of calm,’ says Tom.
‘‘The trees and bush all around the house hide the other houses on the street, so you feel like you are in the middle of the bush, but you are also very connected to everything.’
Tom and Linda have been slowly updating the home while respecting its original features. They’ve designed a new kitchen in the self-contained studio apartment (connected to the main house), repaired the existing cork flooring, and painted the walls with Porters Paint’s French Green.
‘The colour works really well with the tones in the timber,’ Tom says. ‘When we had to remove some of the damaged skirting we discovered that it was very close to the original colour that had been used — a happy coincidence!’
Quality over quantity has been oft repeated mantra throughout the renovations.
‘It’s a bit of a labour of love — trying to restore the home while being sympathetic to the original architecture,’ explains Tom.
‘We want other people to enjoy this home for the next 50 years so we feel it’s important that we use materials that will last and age well.’
Naturally, the home has been styled with many of Tom’s own Eva furniture designs, alongside prototype pieces, which look right at home in the space.
Linda has also applied her own flair to the interiors through the selection of complementary mid-century furniture and art that enhance the home’s warm and welcoming atmosphere.
It’s this feeling that is most appreciated by Tom and Linda’s family and friends, who they often host at the house. But, when it’s just Tom, Linda and the kids at home, you’ll likely find them relaxing in the living room, where the home’s ever-changing natural light and shadows dance across the walls on full display.
‘The room has clerestory windows on all four sides where you can watch the tops of the trees gently moving in the breeze during the day and at night,’ says Tom. ‘You can see all the stars, and the moonlight comes flooding in.’
