Caroline W, Client
Pi Pad, 2022
We contacted kate and rob to help us put a top floor on our townhouse in t kilda west. Living in the country we use the pi pad as a city holiday house. The renovation suits our short term city visits with friends and family and our longer term plan to move there permanently. The new top floor gives us extra room for visitors plus a big deck to entertain and feel we have proper ‘backyard’ and get a feeling of space. The reconfiguration of the bathroom in the middle floor allows visiting families their own privacy and the resort style makes us feel we are really on holiday.
I love the way Kate incorporated the existing lightwells in the renovation so the house has a light and airy feel. In the middle of the build we decided to re-do the kitchen as well which was definitely not part of the original plan. Kate worked with us and the builder to develop the plans on a very short time frame and it is now one of the standouts of the whole house. When we move, we will have space for the kids to visit and a kitchen/living area big enough for family christmases.
Luke C, Client
Timber-Lantern House, 2022
We gave Kate a very difficult brief to take a small run down heritage protected home on a tight block, and create a modern, north facing energy efficient family home. Council were quite difficult as there was no double storey precedence in our heritage precint, and given the shape of our roof it was impossible to hide the extension at the rear.
Kate did a great job in finding a solution that got council over the line while still meeting our requirements to find the perfect floorplan. Now nearly at completion we couldn’t be happier with the end result, we have an amazing home that’s both functional and aesthetically pleasing, with amazing natural light which will no doubt improve our lifestyle.
Sally C, Client
Iffla Terrace, 2022
We are working with McMahon Nerlich to design and build an extension to our single fronted Victorian in South Melbourne. The design has maximised the use of every space in our home, creating new spaces for our two young girls and us on a relatively small block, with beautiful design features and simple lines. We are so excited to begin the build early in the new year and highly recommend McMahon Nerlich for your next project.
Mark, Client
Envelop House, 2021
We looked at three architect firms before selecting McMahon and Nerlich. Rob impressed us with his professional presentation and his easy manner. Having been through a few renovations ourselves, we knew that good communication with the architect and builder throughout the project is of paramount importance. We were sold on the first draft of the design.
Our house block is relatively small and the new house extends to the boundary on three sides. We feel that McMahon and Nerlich have really maximised the use of the land and with huge windows and an effective light court, it is a light filled house. With clever design, the light court and courtyard are true extensions of the interior spaces.
McMahon and Nerlich not only fully completed our design brief, but created a home that we are really happy to live in.
Rob managed the project personally throughout. He was generous with his time and was very patient with our responses to the work in progress and site meeting reports which at times were lengthy and detailed.
The project was completed in a highly professional manner. Using the builder that McMahon and Nerlich recommended was another good decision and the building supervisor was of top quality. We think that McMahon and Nerlich’s project management expertise is an important factor for the success and the healthy environment throughout the project, there’s a lot of goodwill among all parties
Kath F, Polyglot Client
Polyglot, 2019
Polyglot Theatre is a not-for-profit arts organisation creating work for and with children and families in Australia and internationally. We have the great joy of working in a space designed by mcmahon and nerlich. This space supports our collaborative work culture, feeds our creativity with its beauty, and enables us to reach over 30,000 children and families each year.
Rob and Kate created a space for Polyglot that embodies our mission and values. These include a commitment to advocating for the right of all children to experience arts and culture, and promoting the importance of children as a discerning audience from a young age. Polyglot’s artistic and philosophical approach of child-centred practice has earned us a strong reputation at home and abroad as a leader in the Theatre for Young Audiences sector. Access is central to our work at Polyglot, driven by the right of all children to experience growth and resilience through creative play.
Our office space enables us to work creatively, to gather in accessible, beautifully designed spaces, to work effectively and efficiently, and to maintain a focus on the reason we’re all there – the impact we can have in children’s lives. The sense of fun and colour in the space is key to this, with the design aligning with the personality of the company, and creating a welcoming space for young people to engage with us there.
The physical access of the space also aligns strongly with our focus on ensuring we reach those facing access barriers to participating in the arts. The design allows scope to cater to a range of physical access needs for our staff and our participating children, and to use the space in different ways through the inclusion of moveable furniture. The use of plants in the design supports our aim to work within a best practice health and wellbeing model for staff and artists, without which we would be unable to meet the needs of so many children.
Polyglot’s work is always collaborative – we collaborate with our artists, the young people we make the work with and for, and in the way we work. The space allows for an ease and flow of communication that makes our time together very productive. One example of this is our capacity to more than double our work in specialist and special development schools in regional and metropolitan Victoria in 2022......
Kath Fyffe, Executive Director & co-CEO
Jason Wood, Client
Jigsaw House, 2017
We hired McMahon and Nerlich to design and manage the renovation of our home now aptly known as the Jigsaw House. They applied their skills to integrate a modern addition with the heritage fabric creating a fantastic home for us. Every centimetre of the home has been maximised, whether it's the roofspace for essential storage or to ensure that every room is balanced and usable.
Integrating the living dining with outside was a must so too was natural light. We could not be more happy with the result and would happily use the team again.
Alistair Holmes, Builder, Sinjen
Frame Terrace, 2017
We have worked on a number projects McMahon & Nerlich and found them to be great to work with! Their pragmatic and level-headed approach to building issues ensures the construction phase runs smoothly free for all parties. We have worked on renovation projects up to $1m and would have no hesitation in recommending McMahon & Nerlich for renovation and new build projects.
Kate P, Client
Frame Terrace, 2017
We engaged McMahon and Nerlich as architects for our property renovation. We were thrilled with their ability to realise our vision. They were excellent at creating clever liveable living spaces and the final product was everything we could have imagined. We would highly recommend McMahon and Nerlich.
Catherine, Client
Avenue Apartment, 2014
We briefed Rob and Kate on a highly challenging project: a two story, contemporary serviced apartment to be constructed above two shops right next to a tram line in a heritage area on an existing subdivision with a complicated ownership structure. They more than delivered on the brief. The result is a stylish urban retreat in the tree tops of Albert Park.
We use the apartment ourselves between short term rentals and it is a fantastically liveable space made unique by the elegant timber detailing, lighting and hidden storage for us to lock away our essentials between stays. Every single review from our short stay guests has been a 5 star rating. Rob was meticulous in the project management, going beyond the call of duty, while Kate accommodated our “no white please” colour palette with great sensativity despite that natural architect’s compulsion to ‘go arctic’. As soon as the project was finished we gave them the go ahead to remodel and update our office. Instant endorsement!
Debra R, Client
Kew Hill House, 2011
We used Rob and Kate to design an extension for our house, to include a bathroom, study, bedroom and living area. Their design is lovely – stylish, creative and practical. They were both extremely responsive and spent many hours making sure they understood our needs and providing both design and interiors advice.
The whole process was as seamless as it can be when dealing with builders and suppliers, and they went above and beyond in order to make sure everything went to plan, and was finished on time and to specs. It was obvious they really care about their work.
Julie Firkin,
Colleague , collaborator, guest critic, 2012- 2023
Very professional and rigorous design practice, easy to work and collaborate with. They prioritise client communications, take a keen interest in contemporary design and consistently achieve high quality design outcomes with their clients. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them’
Moise N, Client
Balmain House, 2013
We hired mcmahon and nerlich to renovate our terrace house in Balmain. We couldn’t have been happier with the end result. The passion for their industry and enthusiasm for our project was evident. They listened to our brief and created solutions that we couldn’t have dreamed of.
Kate and Rob are a pleasure to work with.