OFFSHORE DOMESTIC
A speculative prototype for lightweight coastal inhabitation.
Developed for the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize. The project explores how architecture might occupy fragile coastal environments with less weight, less permanence and minimal ground impact.
Part Pittwater landing platform, part shelter, part marine infrastructure the structure uses tension and compression to create a hovering platform that can be assembled, disassembled and transported by small boat.
Drawing from offshore communities around Pittwater, the work reflects on living beyond conventional infrastructure and proposes a lighter, reversible approach to inhabitation on the edge of land and water.
Studio Edwards
2026
#StudioEdwards #EnvironmentalDesign #NorthernBeaches #Pittwater #OffshoreLiving
@handsdownmelbourne
A bar shaped by restraint. Two existing rooms have been re-worked and joined to read as one continuous space.
The ceiling was dropped to connect the rooms both physically and acoustically, creating intimacy and a focused soundscape delivered by @hotgold_hifi_officine The internal plan and street entry were also reconfigured, improving flow and arrival while keeping the bar’s understated character.
Rather than overwrite the past, the project works with what was already there — retaining brass-edged counters, preserving and extending existing timber linings, and minimising waste.
With a previous life as a bar, Hands Down offered latent material richness. The design leans into continuity, allowing what existed to quietly lead the outcome.
Construction @artevenetaworkshop
Photography @dominicxavier___
#HandsDown #AdaptiveReuse #MaterialHonesty #MinimalIntervention #HospitalityDesign #MelbourneBars
House 28 has been selected by the Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) as an example of exemplary design & will feature in the forthcoming Great Ocean Road Strategic Framework Plan. A 50-year vision developed by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to guide sensitive, sustainable development along Victoria’s iconic coastline.
House 28 sits lightly on its steep bushland site, elevated on concrete piers to reduce ground impact and let the landscape move freely beneath. Constructed from three 20-foot shipping containers in a boomerang formation, the building responds directly to how it could be delivered and assembled on site. Its lightweight steel frame, galvanised cladding and green roof form a robust, low-maintenance shell. Modest in appearance yet deeply embedded in its place.
Wye River, Victoria
Photographer: Tony Gorsevski
#StudioEdwards #House28 #WyeRiver #OVGA #GreatOceanRoad #ExemplaryDesign #CoastalArchitecture #SustainableDesign #ClimateResponsive #ShippingContainerArchitecture #LandscapeArchitecture #ArchitectureAustralia
Studio Edwards x @lowf__apparel — Shift+Space
A relocatable, modular retail system. Conceived as a moveable framework rather than a fixed fit-out, the project proposes a model for circular design that’s precise, tactile and reconfigurable.
Each component is engineered for assembly, disassembly and reuse, allowing the system to expand from compact laneway stores to gallery-scale interiors. Exposing what is normally concealed & inverting the construction hierarchy: galvanised steel frames provide a rhythmic industrial structure; locally salvaged Oregon timber adds warmth and grain; and dense wool felt delivers acoustic and sensory depth.
The palette is raw but deliberate, celebrating imperfection and material honesty. A system that feels architectural in its precision yet human in its materiality.
Beyond a pop-up, Shift+Space operates as a prototype for mobile, regenerative retail — a spatial platform built to evolve with context, movement and time.
Photography @jackecarlin
#StudioEdwards #LOWF #ShiftSpace #AdaptiveArchitecture #CircularDesign #ModularDesign #RetailArchitecture #DesignInnovation #FutureOfRetail #MaterialHonesty #ArchitecturalDesign #MelbourneDesign #DesignExcellence #SpatialDesign #WabiSabiDesign #DesignForReUse #Dezeen
Shift+Space — A Collaboration with Studio Edwards
Introducing a joint creative project that extends the philosophy of The Form Capsule into the built environment.
Over the past few months we’ve been quietly collaborating with award winning architectural practice @studio_edwards to design a modular retail system that reimagines how spaces can move and adapt — built from raw utilitarian materials usually hidden from view.
Shift+Space will debut as the setting for LOWF’s Form Capsule pop-up stores, opening soon.
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No plasterboard. No glue. No landfill.
Completed last year, the Today Design workspace @todaydes is a zero-waste fitout that still pushes harder than most “new” studios. No soft styling, no borrowed buzzwords — just a fully demountable system made from recycled steel, modular wall panels, and zero adhesives.
This is architecture designed for disassembly, not disposable aesthetics.
Key elements include pivoting wall panels that double as work surfaces, allowing the space to expand, contract, and evolve with the studio’s shifting needs — a spatial toolkit, not a fixed layout.
Where others sell “third spaces” with premium amenities, Today is a provocation: what if your office left no trace? What if waste wasn’t part of the plan?
🧱 No plasterboard
♻️ 100% removable
🛠 Built to unbuild
You can see it for yourself during this year’s @openhousemelb weekend — July 27–28. Bookings via the @openhousemelb site:
👉 openhousemelbourne.org
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Design: @studioedwards
Client: @today.design
Photographer: @peterbbennetts
📍Naarm / Melbourne
📰 Featured in @dezeen@frame_mag@thelocalproject
#StudioEdwards #TodayDesign #OpenHouseMelbourne #ZeroWasteWorkspace #WorkplaceDesign #CircularArchitecture #DesignForDisassembly #FitoutWithoutWaste #RecycledSteel #SpatialSystems #MelbourneArchitecture #NotJustStyling
Muted, not minimal.
A compact Fitzroy home reconfigured around two principles: no colour, and a love of Joy Division.
Circulation was shifted to open sightlines and pull light from kitchen to courtyard. Integrated storage blurs the line between furniture and architecture.
Materiality is tactile and restrained — concrete, timber, brushed metal — curated for atmosphere over excess.
Featuring a 1979 photograph of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins, shot on Manchester’s Epping Walk Bridge.
#StudioEdwards #JoyDivision #KevinCummins #ArchitectureandMusic #InteriorArchitecture #MutedTones #ConcreteDesign #TimberInteriors #BrushedMetal #CompactLiving #InnerCityHome #ArchitecturalDetails #AtmosphericSpaces #NoColour #DesignWithRestraint
Skyline Sanctuary – A Reflective Urban Escape
Suspended on the 64th floor of one of Melbourne’s tallest residential towers, this reimagined one-bedroom apartment transforms reflection into an immersive experience. The bedroom wall was removed, unlocking a seamless living space lined with new internal forms and cabinetry, purposefully angled to bounce light and skyline views deep into the interior.
Glossy finishes interplay with a cloud-inspired palette, while a perforated ceiling—punctuated by minute pin-like lights—softens acoustics and creates a delicate, atmospheric glow. A custom mirrored work desk pivots from the wall, adapting to the shifting city backdrop and supporting the client’s workday flow.
A refined urban sanctuary, where reflection and light become architectural gestures.
#MelbourneArchitecture #SkylineLiving #ResidentialDesign #StudioEdwards #ReflectedLight
Horizon of Light
Accessed via a crisp, framed portal, the new @aboveboardbarmelb expansion is a study in restraint and atmosphere.
Crisp lines and sharp angles guide the eye. Perimeter walls are subtly sliced to conceal a singular gesture: a linear light that engulfs the space.
An artificial horizon.
An ambience controlled solely by light.
The angled corridor wall unfolds to reveal a tear-shaped solid timber table with a scalloped edge. Opposite, leather-lined circular booths hug the wall, appearing carved from blocks of cork. The rear wall hovers, intersected by the horizon line — a sliver of light offering glimpse views into the darkness beyond.
Minimal intervention. Maximum atmosphere.
A palette of ironbark, leather, and cork grounds the space.
Muted. Textural. Immersive.
A bar designed not for distraction — but for presence.
#StudioEdwards #AboveBoard #BarDesign #HospitalityDesign #SensoryArchitecture #MinimalDesign #InteriorAtmosphere #CorkInteriors #MelbourneBars #DesignThroughLight #ArchitecturalLighting #MaterialHonesty
A climate-responsive renovation on a tight 3.4m-wide site, transforming a former gallery into a flexible, light-filled home. At its centre, a new lightwell and courtyard draw in light and ventilation — acting as both a backdrop and breathing space, with framed views from the upper-level bathroom.
To the rear, a new two-storey retreat nestles into the garden, with a study below and bedroom above, linked to the main house via a lightweight walkway. Strategic, restrained moves — a reconfigured stair, new entry, and modest material palette — unlock the full potential of this compact inner-urban site.
#SmallSiteBigIdeas #CompactLiving
#SmartDesignSolutions #TrickySiteSpecialist #ChallengingSites
#UrbanInfill #CreativeRenovation
#DesignConstraints #BackyardArchitecture
#AdaptiveReuse
A refined study in spatial restraint & identity.
The fitout for @robinson_man rethinks the retail experience as something curated, adaptable, and quietly evolving. Not trend-driven, but intentionally architectural — restraint over decoration, clarity over clutter.
A sculptural screen wall defines the change rooms, anchoring the space alongside a central counter. Long rails and layered shelving frame a flexible environment, made to shift with time, seasons, and curation.
The design invites a slow reveal. Confident. Composed. This is retail rethought.
#StudioEdwards #RobinsonMan #RetailArchitecture #RetailDesign #InteriorArchitecture #Menswear #MelbourneDesign #GioPonti #ArchitecturalRetail #DesignWithIntent #SpatialDesign
A purposeful garden addition, designed for both work and play.
This project integrates a compact studio and children’s cubby house within the rear garden of a recently renovated residence — a response to the evolving needs of family life and the opportunity to enrich the landscape through thoughtful architecture.
🛠️ The Studio
Sited in the south-west corner, the studio is angled to open toward the garden and proposed pool, maintaining strong visual connections back to the main house. A concealed entry along the southern edge offers privacy, framing the space as a place of retreat. The roof — a crisp skin of 3mm aluminium on a ply substrate — lends a refined, lightweight finish that contrasts subtly with the garden’s softness.
🌳 The Cubby
Interwoven with the canopy of an existing tree, the cubby house becomes an immersive structure for imaginative play. Constructed from solid cypress pine blocks sourced through @revival_sustainable_practice anchoring the design to the site through both material integrity and ecological consideration.
🧰 Utility & Connection
Storage elements are discreetly integrated — a vertical bike rack, overflow storage, and garden tools — with a sliding gate to the rear laneway providing both access and concealment.
🌱 Architecture as Garden
Rather than standalone structures, the studio and cubby are conceived as extensions of the garden itself — framed views, layered decking, and future planting all work together to dissolve boundaries. These small buildings become backdrops to daily life, visible from key interior moments such as the kitchen and window seat, and quietly support the rhythm of family, work, and rest.
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#StudioEdwards #ArchitecturalGarden #GardenStudio #CubbyHouse #ReclaimedTimber #RevivalProjects #MelbourneArchitecture #SmallFootprint #BackyardArchitecture #SustainableDesign #ThoughtfulArchitecture #CompactLiving
