When a Robin Boyd house hits the market, it always presents a special opportunity for anyone looking to own a slice of Australia’s architectural history.
This was the case for designer Taeler Jordan and her husband Luke Axton when they saw ‘The Fler’ house by Robin Boyd come up for sale in 2021.
‘We received a listing email of this beautiful three bedroom home in Warrandyte, and I felt it was fate – a house of that significance coming up for sale in a pocket of Warrandyte we had been closely watching for six years!’, says Taeler.
Boyd designed and built the house in 1956, collaborating with revolutionary furniture designers at the time, The Fler Company. The home has a simple gabled roof and rectangular floor plan arranged around the living area with a central free-standing fireplace. The most spectacular part of the house, however, is the impressive wall of windows in the open-plan living space, which provides stunning views to the surrounding bush beyond.
‘Our favourite place is definitely the living room,’ says Taeler. ‘The timber-lined cathedral ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lush landscape and river is truly a dream.’
Taeler and Luke were unwilling to initiate a big renovation on the architecturally significant home, so instead set out to repair and restore what they could.
‘We wanted to highlight the stunning existing architectural features,’ says Taeler. ‘The house was a mixture of yellow cladding, raw timber and aqua-painted walls. Everything needed to be softened, so the windows, walls, floors and existing timber ceilings all tonally spoke to one another.’
They replaced the asbestos-lined roof, rebuilt the subfloors, repaired the floorboards and renovated the laundry and bathroom.
‘Through the restoration works, some spaces were not salvageable,’ explains Taeler. ‘So, I designed a bathroom and laundry that has a very sympathetic nod to the 50s and 60s architecture. With green mosaic tiles and a soft palette, the house is subtle in nature.’
Whilst the couple relished giving ‘The Fler’ new life, during the renovation another dream property came on the market next door to Luke’s family, which they had to snap up.
‘It’s sad to say goodbye to this home, but we hope the new owners love this truly special house, in an even more special part of Australia,’ says Taeler.
41 Koornong Crescent, North Warrandyte, VIC, is listed for sale with Aaron Yeats from Jellis Craig, with expressions of interest closing on May 16, 5pm (AEST). Join Taeler, Jellis Craig and The BuildHer Collective for an event and tour of The Fler House on Sunday April 30, register here!
