Architect Elsternwick

Elsternwick packs a lot into a small suburb: grand Victorian and Edwardian homes, interwar streets, a busy village centre and blocks that are often narrower and closer to their neighbours than buyers expect. Privacy, light and garden are the three things most Elsternwick briefs come back to.

Zen Architects has designed a home in Elsternwick and works across Glen Eira and the neighbouring bayside suburbs, including the Foreshore Amenities in Sandringham. Every project is led by our directors, Ric Zen and Luke Rhodes. We design custom homes, extensions and whole-of-home transformations for clients who want more from the house they already love, or a new one built properly.

Private on a busy street.

Courtyard House sits on a busy street, opposite a car park. The clients wanted a home that was open and connected to garden without exposing them to either. We set the house back behind the existing liquidambar tree, creating a north-facing garden as a buffer to the street.

At the centre of the plan is a protected courtyard that every part of the house can reach. It works as the home's focal point and its natural corridor, bringing light, warmth and cross ventilation through to the rear living areas.

Project shown: Courtyard House, Elsternwick. Builder Prostart Constructions. Photography Emma Cross. View the project

Custom New Homes

Designed for your block, its light and its neighbours. Nothing predetermined.

Period Home Extensions

Victorian and Edwardian homes extended with care, keeping the street facade intact.

Light and Privacy on Tight Sites

Courtyards, setbacks and careful openings that bring light in without letting the street in.

A private conversation with one of our architects about your Elsternwick property. Arrange a design consultation

Questions worth answering.

Which council handles planning in Elsternwick?

Elsternwick sits within Glen Eira City Council. Many streets carry heritage or neighbourhood character overlays, so we check every control that applies to your property before the brief is fixed. You can check your own property's overlays with a free planning property report from VicPlan.

How do you get privacy on a busy Elsternwick street?

By designing the house around it rather than adding screens afterwards. At Courtyard House we set the home back behind an existing tree and turned it inwards to a central courtyard, so the living spaces open to garden and sky rather than the street.

Can a narrow Elsternwick block still get good northern light?

Usually, yes, with the right plan. Courtyards, light wells and careful placement of living areas can bring northern light deep into a narrow house. Orientation is the first thing we study on any site.

Do you extend Victorian and Edwardian homes in Elsternwick?

Yes. The approach is to keep the part of the house the street sees and design the addition as its own considered piece behind it.

What kind of clients does Zen Architects work with in Elsternwick?

Owners who have lived in the area for years and want their home to work better, and buyers who have found the right street and want to build properly on it.

We also work with clients in neighbouring Brighton and Malvern.