We spoke to Joshua Muyambo, co‑director at MAP Architecture, about his unique vision for Napier’s design.

What are some of the key materials you’ve featured?

The materials palette emphasises warm timbers, a response to the natural beauty of Glen Waverley. We’ve utilised a pared back, monochromatic colour palette to allow these timber accents to take centre stage. The spotted gum timber battens help to introduce a rhythm, reducing visual bulk. This also introduces warmth and helps directly link the building with the greenery of Glen Waverley whilst softening the linear aspects of the design.

What inspired Napier’s architecture and how does the design respond to its location?

Our intent was to provide a considered architectural solution that responds to the context of the site, allowing for the best possible contemporary outcome. We focused on clean lines, a minimal palette and great articulation, creating a visually appealing and sympathetic facade.

The site is sort of like a corner because you’ve got two aspects. The residences are accessed from Blair Road, which creates a very private, residential feel. The design responds to the immediate surrounds in its massing and its visual composition. The building steps down towards the south – to the residential context – but towards High Street it has a more robust massing. There have deliberately been generous setbacks at ground level, so we could allow for a generous amount of landscaping within the site. This was a direct response to the surrounding greenery; by allowing this additional setback and landscaping at ground level it ensures a more sympathetic link to the public realm, which itself is very green.

Creative director, Emma Mahlook, talks to what inspired the direction for Napier’s interiors.

Could you talk us through some of the key materials and features included throughout?

We’ve used a very natural and textural palette of silvery blues, greys, whites and warm honey tones, inspired by the gum tree ideology. We’ve featured soft pale oak floors throughout and light timber colour joinery to brighten and soften living spaces. All materials are authentic and highly durable.

A custom dining table sits at one end of the island bench, made from little squares of solid timber. Each square features the heart of the wood grain, made up like mosaic tiles. We were able to use a natural salt and pepper granite throughout the bathrooms and kitchens, which is a really durable and absolutely bullet proof stone. You’ll find a lot of premium fixtures like high-end appliances, integrated dishwashers and integrated fridges. The lobby features beautiful dark bronze and honey tones on the lift doors and ceiling details. There’s also a gorgeous mosaic on the walls, representing the bark of a tree.

What inspired the initial concept for Napier’s interiors?

We always create a really strong philosophy behind anything we work on. It’s really important to us that every job is unique, and has a really strong story behind it. For Napier, we looked to the surroundings of the site and the architecture to build a distinctive identity.

The site is surrounded by gum trees, which we drew upon within the design in terms of colour, texture and materiality. The bark on gum trees is a silvery blue with beautiful honey tones, which we used to inform the overall palette and mood of Napier.

How does the design respond to the architecture?

The architecture is quite cantilevered and has a lot of chamfered detailing. We included these details internally to create a seamless connection between in and out. You can see this in the kitchen bench for example, as well as the integrated dining table, living area joinery and vanities. By incorporating small details to reflect the architecture, it gives the design a more holistic language.

John Patrick talks us through the landscaping of Napier, and why having a connection to nature is so important in residential design.

Could you talk us through your plant selection and the feeling it will evoke?

There are some really beautiful species featured throughout the landscape. One of my favourites is called Smooth Leaved Quandong, which is a gorgeous little plant. I grow it as a screening plant in my home here. It produces a bronze, glossy foliage and is native to the rainforests of northern New South Wales. We’ve used this on the southern boundary of the site. We’ve also used an evergreen Weeping Lilly Pilly. This one is really elegant. The idea is that it will provide residents with really good privacy, creating a great sense of seclusion whilst adding greenery to the building. Hanging over the terraces, we’ve used a species known as Native Frangipani, which has beautifully-perfumed flowers. They open wide and then as they age they turn yellow. I have one in the park right next my house, and I watch it throughout the year.

We’ve heard you like to use your garden as a testing ground, could you tell us a bit more about that?

I change my garden every few years and I like to test out plants that I haven’t grown anywhere previously, just to see how they perform. So yes, my own garden is a bit of a test place. For example, the Smooth Leaved Quandong that I mentioned before has been joyous to have in my garden. It’s a beautiful evergreen screen plant that is really quite handsome.

How does the landscaping of Napier enhance the interior spaces?

When you look out at the garden from the inside, you can see walls of green. You’re going to feel really secluded which is rather beautiful. Once you’re home and in the door it’s almost as if you’re in a cocoon. In the morning, there’ll be some gorgeous light coming through the plants and into the home in a soft, dappled way. It will be quite joyous. Certainly for the little terraces, that’ll be an exquisite environment.

Why is having a connection to nature so important in this modern world?

I think what lockdown has shown us is that having greenery around us is a really important thing. You go out and sit amongst nature and it gives you the opportunity to calm down, collect your thoughts and take a break. Greenery is not just greenery, either. It attracts birds and other species, creating a sanctuary. We lie in bed in the morning and watch rainbow lorikeets feeding in the park next door and it’s just heavenly. At Napier, you’ve got generous amounts of canopy vegetation, which you’ll be able to enjoy and appreciate right throughout the year.

How will residents of Napier enjoy the luxury of a marvellous garden without any of the hard work?

People are recognising the benefits of greenery more and more but they are also wanting to do less and less in their own gardens. As such, most of the gardens here will have a maintenance contract, meaning they’ll be looked after. Residents will benefit from professional expertise without having to learn about many different plants. You’ll be in this wonderful situation where you can enjoy all the benefits of a green, flowering garden without having to do much at all. This means you can spend your weekends doing the things you love, enjoying your life, without any of those extra worries.