Behind the build:

A resort-style family home.

We sat down with Koray Kolege, the owner-builder behind 48 Westgate St, Pascoe Vale South, a recently built resort-style family home to talk about the inspiration for the home, the design process and what is on the horizon for his building business, RUBIKS CUBED.

This home is ‘Project Four’ for your RUBIKS CUBED business. Tell us about RUBIKS CUBED.

I had always been involved in developments and building, but the first foray for RUBIKS CUBED was when we purchased a block of land but couldn’t find anyone to do the build. Despite being a lawyer by trade, I decided to roll up my sleeves and get the job done myself. That was really the triggering step to starting our building business RUBIKS CUBED.

We specialise in family homes. This was where we started so this is what our business is all about – building quality homes for families to live in long-term. We are always trying to push the boundaries with each project and our focus is always about improving the lifestyles of each homes’ occupants.

COVID had a major impact on the types of homes people wanted. We’ve seen those shifts first-hand where our clients really want to be immersed in their homes so that when things change (as we know they can), people know they have a safe and expansive space around them.

Tell us about your design process for 48 Westgate Street. Where did you start and what was the vision?

We purchased the land with an existing house on the block in late 2021. The first point of call when we build is always to think about the family that will be living in the home for the next 10 to 15 years. The existing house didn’t have any special heritage features and wasn’t going to be the right size or fit for the family we were building for, so we knocked down and basically started with a blank canvas.

First, we start with the necessities. We consider the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas that will suit the family that we see living in the space and at each step of the way we consider how we can achieve these necessities.

From this point on we ask the question – how can we elevate this to a home that we can be proud of and that will be suitable for years to come?

So now we have the framework of the house, then we move to working from the outside in, considering at each point the proportions of the house from the front façade all the way inwards.

For this project we collaborated with BuildHer Collective on the interiors of the home and we really feel that the results speak for themselves.

The arches surrounding the façade and alfresco area are stunning. What was the design inspiration?

The existing property had two established loquat trees at the rear of the property. Seeing those trees took me back to my childhood as my grandfather had a loquat tree in his backyard and as soon as I saw those trees, I knew they had to stay. Loquats have a very Mediterranean feel so that had us thinking about where else we could tie this feeling in a modern, Melbourne way, and this is where we were inspired to incorporate arches.

We really feel the arches and timber structures are not only a nod to the soft aesthetic, but they’re also functional in that they zone the areas well –they have a very considered impact.

What are three words you would use to describe the home?