Monaco - Woodwork

Melbourne Club - Civil Upgrade

Well deserving of its name - ‘The Melbourne Club’ - is Melbourne’s longest continuously running private social club (founded 1838!). In 2024, more than a century and a half after it was built, the request was put out by the club to revitalise its above and below ground stormwater system at its rear. Working as Project Manager for ABODE RESTORATION i helped to successfully deliver the project.

The planned works were relatively simple had it not been for the testing site conditions that made it one of the most ‘exciting’ in-ground projects i’ve completed so far. The grounds contain three highly significant, genuinely monstrous plane trees, one of which is the oldest in Victoria. The volume of the tree roots was in some areas so dense that standard jet stream non-destructive digging was virtually ineffective. A process of hand digging and supervised root pruning over several months was the only viable solution to complete the project while ensuring the safety of the trees.

Beyond the grounds, the density of existing in-ground utilities in the rear Club lane exceeded the capacity of scanning equipment requiring rapid redesign of stormwater falls and pit placement once exposed.

A small project but unique and challenging as ever. The greatest pleasure for me was carving out the corbels to replace several damaged pieces to the Rackets Court building.

Despite the site conditions the project was delivered on time for the Club to recommence its events.

A separate fun fact - Melbourne’s first recorded pistol duel took place in 1839 between two members of the club.

Cooloongatta Road - Kitchen Renovation Process

Built and Designed by: Officina Monaco

As part of an overall renovation and restoration project undertaken at Cooloongatta Road, these photos showcase the extensive works undertaken to the kitchen.

To resolve the small and out dated kitchen space, an internal brick wall was removed and a small extension built creating a new rear entrance to the house, enlarging the kitchen and improving flow between the rooms.

Materials selection and design form were centred around a modern interpretation of mid century / art deco style. A stand out design decision for me was the choice to fit the new stove and rangehood into the existing space available (rather than pulling it down). Old chimney spaces weren’t designed to accommodate modern cooking appliances but it is often possible to integrate new technology into the old if a concerted effort is made to achieve this early in the design. This approach requires more thought but is far more sustainable and often provides design solutions that save cost and time during construction.

The Jarrah beam and dividing strip were chosen and installed by myself with intention to make obvious where the existing wall and door threshold once stood.

A special thanks to ගිටාරිස්ටි and Kinda Bhullar _bhullar._ for their beautiful render and solid plastering work that can be seen in the feature wall and the stepped detailing in the face of the stove area as well as the bullnosed columns in place of the existing wall.

Old Kyneton Hospital - Lantern Roof Construction

The most enjoyable part of restoration for me is reinstatement. This is where the restorer is given the opportunity to put back an important part of a building once lost.

Client Embracia Aged Care - Kyneton has provided ABODE RESTORATION the honour of guiding the design process for the reinstatement of the roof lantern at the Old Kyneton Hospital.

The detailed drawings and in progress photos show the result of a perfect collaboration between, client, architect, structural engineer, builder and the site team.

Over time the processes of design and construction have become segmented into individual contracts based on strict scopes delineating the responsibilities of each party. While this is an important function of the modern world, i maintain that the most beautiful way to bring a design vision to life is when these barriers are allowed to be dropped such that all parties may come together to work towards a superordinate goal.

In the coming weeks we will move forwards with cladding the roof structure with lead and fitting the decorative finial and fascias. This will see further collaboration between all parties to bring the final design to fruition, completing the reinstatement process as part of the renewal of the building.

Queen Victoria Market, Food Hall Restoration - Project Completion

A really remarkable brickwork transformation and a project i enjoyed delivering as Project Manager for ABODE RESTORATION alongside a team of internal bricklayers and heritagegreen tuck pointers.

Built in 1869, the Meat Market is a fantastic example of brick construction and features the polychrome patterns and tuckpointing that had been pioneered by celebrated Architect, Joseph Reed.

Tuckpointing is a traditional trade in its truest sense.
To briefly describe the process, bricks are pointed with coloured mortar (as opposed to the usual grey), a contrasting, thin ribbon/bead (commonly white, black or red) is then applied over the face of the coloured mortar to create a striking contrast. The process is time consuming and requires the repetitive application of skill and attention to detail.

Today the criteria for design decisions in building (and beyond) are typically governed by the prioritisation of the economic benefit sought to be achieved by the building project rather than the less tangible benefits that are achieved through the conscious beautification of our built environment. This contrasts previous ways of thinking and the gradual movement has made it challenging for highly time consuming, beauty focussed trades like tuck-pointing to remain relevant.

Tuckpointing, that was once a staple design consideration in the 19th century, is very rarely if ever specified in new build projects.

Tuckpointing remains a small but thriving trade as a result of the restoration sector, underpinned by clients who love their heritage buildings and the preservation requirements of organisations like Heritage Victoria who have effectively saved trades like tuckpointing from being lost.

The work of tradesmen like tuckpointers is far more important than the beautiful result they produce, it represents a time in the world where beauty was expressed through detail, ornamentation and painstaking dedication to developing skill.

Old Kyneton Hospital - Verandah Structural Remediation

When the Verandah is complete at the old Hospital, from a distance it will look exactly as it did when it was first built.
- So, what was actually done to it?

This post represents the several hundred man hours expended by the ABODE RESTORATION team with myself (as project manager), Joe Orton (site manager) and the in house carpentry team progressively pealing back the Verandah to unveil its existing condition, documenting the required repairs, designing a propping methodology and putting all the planning into action.

Several previous engineers had condemned the Verandah beyond repair and recommended a full pull down and rebuild. Credit to the ABODE RESTORATION team for successfully executing the repair works while keeping the structure upright. Credit also to engineer stabl an client Embracia Aged Care - Kyneton for supporting the Abode approach.

Slide 1: The Propping Methodology (as drawn).
Slides 2 - 6: Review of Existing Conditions.
Slide 7: Documenting the Repairs.
Slide 8 - 9: Propping (As Installed).
Slides 10 - 12: New Structure Meets Old.
Slides 13 - 14: Sunrise & Sunset over the repaired Verandah.

A really special project - made with a heart full of love for my Mum.

Design: Officina Monaco
Builder & Joiner: Officina Monaco

It is natural and necessary that we will want to create in a way that feels new and fresh and distinctly different from what was already there. In beautiful, old spaces, i believe this want for new can be satisfied without completely leaving behind or separating from the character of the space you already find yourself in.

I tried to be particularly conscious of living up to this ethos when redesigning the room pictured and the new sunbed joinery to go with it. I decided that the new room needed to be lightly ornate but certainly couldn’t be excessive, the family who first built the house in 1937 were working class and the existing rooms, although gorgeous, didn’t feature a high amount of ornamentation.

During the design phase, I walked the house and picked out what i already loved about it and what was so typical of the era; the v-grooved mantelpiece detail (now replicated under the cushion), the frequent use of sharp curves (now featured in the drawer inlay) and the solid hardware (salvaged and used in the handles). I’ve included an image of the existing fireplace mantelpiece that i drew a lot of inspiration from.

By incorporating existing details, methods and materials, a beautiful harmony can be achieved between old and new. Designing with this consideration may initially feel onerous, perhaps even unnecessary but it establishes a link and a flow between old and new, it evidences the effort and the care of the new owner in embracing the heritage of the space, respecting the design of the original architect and best of all - it creates a timeless end result.

Blessed to have had you trust me with your home. Josie Monaco

Old Kyneton Hospital - Project Update

Pinching myself! A few months in now and a lot has changed at OKH. Working as Project manager for ABODE RESTORATION i can comfortably say this has been my favourite restoration project to date and one i will look back on and cherish.

Our recent focus; a complex verandah structure rebuild, stormwater works, tie-backs to the chimneys and most significant of all - the reinstatement of a historic lantern.

We knew the building originally featured a lantern that was demolished a long time ago, perhaps in the 1940s during major renovations undertaken by Huchinson Builders. Archived images found by heritage Architect David Wixted show how the lantern appeared from outside and old framing found within the roof space uncovered details of its set-out and pitch.

Light will once again make its way into the first floor under a beautiful bell shaped roof with framing now mostly complete by the ABODE RESTORATION carpentry team, led by Vince Spagnolo.

Revelling in the satisfaction of what we’ve completed to date, beyond enthused at the prospect of the works ahead.
Plenty more updates to come.

Photography: taracmoorephotography

680 Elizabeth Street - Progress Update

🇦🇺 On site watching the talented .son as he reinstates the Australian Flag for the 680 Elizabeth Street restoration project.

The building dates back to the 20’s, the sign possibly the 80’s though very little was left of it when we started on site. Credit to Phil’s artistry, finding the faint outlines and colours of the original flag and then transferring these into a scaled hand drawing that would later be used as his reference point to repaint the flag.

The team worked hard executing targeted repair works to the front facade including render works by ._ and as well as carpentry repairs by .

Works remaining include paint stripping and repainting by , a tricky concrete lintel repair that i will help manage with as well as tuck pointing repairs.

• Cooloongatta Road Restoration
Kitchen Prep Bench and Feature Wall

Builder / Designer: .monaco
Joinery: .b.cunningham &
Feature wall: ._

Swipe through to see the before shots, my sketches and how we brought them to life.
Thank you to all the involved for your craftsmanship and your creative input!

Over the next few weeks i’ll be sharing more shots of this renovation / restoration project in Camberwell that i had the true pleasure of designing, managing and periodically acting as tradesman for. I had a lot of fun leading the project from the concept phase all the way to handover and i’m really proud to see it finished!