112 Roseneath St is a community of 49 apartments and 18 townhouses, in a converted Brutalist building in Clifton Hill. Designed to create shared community driven spaces and high-quality urban living, the project was delivered by Assemble, Wulff Project and Icon Developments.
Pino Demaio moved in to these innovative apartments with partner Georgie Cleary (of alpha60) and their children. Pino runs Local Peoples and Matters Journal, and his interests in placemaking, sustainable cities and urban density are equally reflected in his work and his home!
The Roseneath site was previously a combination of old factory warehouses spaces and a ‘really cool brutalist style concrete office space’ which Pino highlights is his ‘favourite architectural style.’ The new development carries half of the brutalist building into the new design, and introduces shared gardens, a communal workshop, and community spaces.
In addition to Pino and Georgie’s deep alignment with the philosophy of the development, what drew them to purchase an apartment was the glowing morning light, daily view of the local bats flying past, the proximity to Dights Falls, and the ‘lovely community around us.’
The family have only been in the apartment since August last year, but have quickly transformed the off-the-plan residence into a home. Pino describes their aesthetic as ‘hopefully creative’ and ‘practical and not fussy.’ Starting from a clean slate, the couple did feel a mild compulsion to fill the house with unnecessary ‘stuff’, but in the end have taken on a discerning approach, aiming to be ‘thoughtful about what we do and don’t need, and trying to reduce as much as we can.’ Unsurprisingly, given both of their incredibly successful creative pursuits, their home is filled with art, ceramics, furniture and design from local Melbourne creatives.
In sharing their stunning home, Pino hopes to highlight the beauty, functionality and strong sense of community that can emerge from high-density living. He emphasises, ‘we’re expecting the population of urban settings globally to grow by 3 billion people over the next 30 years, so its crucial we tell stories that highlight the challenges and possible solutions of this growth.’
