Ella Leoncio studied at the University of Melbourne and is now a principal at Chamberlain Architects. She is also a freelance writer and author of the blog Pages from my Moleskine.
Ella Leoncio's Latest contributions
Glamorous and gritty: Prince Dining Room
IF Architecture has taken cues from the history and culture of the Prince of Wales Hotel in Melbourne’s St Kilda to create a new dining experience in the upstairs restaurant.
Surprising grandeur: Fitzroy Terrace
Within a seemingly typical Victorian terrace house, new shifts in volume and dramatic apertures to the sky create the illusion of impossibly spacious proportions.
Childlike delight: Storybook House
Folk Architects’ addition to a terrace in Melbourne’s inner-north stretches the limits of its compact site to create a pragmatic and surprising family home.
Grown-up playground: Vacation Cafe
Neighbouring the serious Ernst and Young tower in Melbourne’s CBD, Vacation Cafe designed by Therefore occupies the streetscape like a kid in a rainbow parachute jacket among a sea of suits. It exudes a relaxed playfulness laced with eighties childhood nostalgia.
Surf and turf: Tiger Prawn
Inspired by the tiger prawn, this terrace house renovation by Wowowa Architecture is both a gesture designed for public delight and a series of playful spaces to be privately enjoyed.
Ambassador of taste: Eugenia Lim’s The Australian Ugliness
In this three-channel video installation, Lim plays a stylized, alien figure, “the Ambassador,” who navigates some of Australia’s most iconic architectural works.
Looking in: Prahran House
Marked by an impressive attention to detail and an idiosyncratic handling of materials, this house by Ritz and Ghougassian eschews the traditional backyard in favour of an “inward-looking” approach.
Twinkling terrace: PerfPad
Through a series of simple but effective alterations Northbourne Architecture and Design has transformed an existing terrace house into a more functional, light-filled home with a luminous street presence.
A cut above: Hues Hair
Inspired by the Memphis Group, architect Adriana Hanna uses playful colour and sharp shapes to create a Melbourne hair salon that’s a cut above the rest.
Domestic monument: Maitland House
Bold “monumental geometry,” a muted palette and the integration of indoor and outdoor spaces have revitalized an old orange brick home in this addition by Kennedy Nolan.