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This 1960s Warehouse-turned-home retained its concrete floors, steel roofs, and grunge aesthetic

There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a 1960s industrial shed get reimagined into something else without losing its gritty soul. Most warehouse conversions follow a predictable script: gut the interior, white-wash everything, add some Edison bulbs, call it industrial chic. Zen Architects took a different approach with this Richmond project, and the result feels less like gentrification and more like intelligent conversation between past and present. The brief was straightforward enough, but the execution required actual restraint, which is apparently a rare commodity in Australian residential architecture these days.

The project sits on Wurundjeri Country in Melbourne’s inner suburbs, and the decision tree here was fascinating from the jump. Keep the existing building envelope or tear it down and start fresh? Retain that brutalist concrete slab or rip it up? Truewood Constructions worked within some seriously constrained site access, which actually forced better decisions. When you can’t easily demo and haul away a concrete floor, you start thinking harder about embodied energy and lifecycle assessments. The slab stayed, the steel structure stayed, even the original sprinkler pipes and light fittings got repurposed. This is adaptive reuse that actually adapts rather than apologizes for existing.

Designer: Zen Architects

The spatial solution centers on a north-facing courtyard that punches through what was essentially a light-starved box. This internal garden does the heavy lifting thermally, pulling winter sun deep into the plan while those new high-level louvres handle cross ventilation. The warehouse’s original orientation was terrible, south-facing with minimal useful glazing, so rather than fighting the envelope they carved out a microclimate inside it. Those floating mezzanine rooms sit within the original volume like furniture, maintaining that cathedral ceiling while creating actual bedrooms. The exposed steel truss system reads as pure structure, painted dark to recede visually while the translucent roof panels filter daylight through the framework. It’s a sectional move that respects the building’s bones while completely reorganizing its guts.

What makes this work spatially is that raised timber deck threading through the concrete floor plane. Living areas sit lower on polished concrete, dining and circulation happen on the warm hardwood deck, and the courtyard becomes this interstitial garden space that belongs to everything and nothing. Those circular planters, particularly that lime green cylinder, are mobile on casters. The planting strategy mixes small trees with ferns and tropicals, creating enough density to make the courtyard feel like actual garden rather than decorative garnish. Emma Cross’s photography captures how the double-height volume and layered transparency create sightlines that connect every zone, living room to mezzanine bedroom, without compromising privacy.

The interior palette is an exercise in restraint. Deep teal cabinetry with a yellow backsplash accent in the kitchen, natural plywood for the mezzanine boxes, and that polished concrete everywhere else. The lighting mix spans industrial green enamel pendants, colorful glass spheres over the dining table, and black track fixtures on the exposed structure. No fussy chandeliers or Pinterest-core fixtures trying too hard. The furniture reads eclectic without feeling curated to death, a rustic timber dining table with visible character, black sectional sofa, some mid-century modern pieces, kilim rugs. It looks like people actually live here, which is apparently controversial in architectural photography.

The sustainability angle matter here even if Zen Architects didn’t scream it from the rooftops. That existing concrete slab represents thousands of kilograms of embodied carbon that stayed in place. The reused roof sheeting, cladding, and original fixtures add up to significant material waste diverted from landfill. High-level louvres and the north courtyard provide passive heating and cooling, reducing mechanical system loads. This is sustainable architecture that doesn’t need to wear a solar panel costume to prove its credentials. The performance is embedded in the planning decisions, the material reuse, the thermal mass of that concrete floor soaking up winter sun and releasing it overnight. It’s almost like good design and environmental responsibility can coexist without PowerPoint presentations about green washing.

The post This 1960s Warehouse-turned-home retained its concrete floors, steel roofs, and grunge aesthetic first appeared on Yanko Design.

Experience Next-Level Shine with BSTY Dual-Action Cordless Floor Washing

Keeping floors truly clean has always meant juggling multiple tools and steps, from sweeping or vacuuming first to mopping afterward, often with the frustrating reality that you’re just pushing dirt around with contaminated water. Traditional mops mix clean and dirty water, while most vacuum-mop combos compromise on either suction power or cleaning effectiveness. The result is floors that look clean but never feel genuinely spotless.

The BSTY Dual-Action Cordless Floor Washing machine approaches this challenge with a fundamentally different philosophy. This sleek, cordless device combines powerful vacuuming with steam mopping in a single workflow, using a mix-free dual-tank system that ensures only clean water touches your floors. The result is a cleaning experience that feels both more thorough and surprisingly effortless.

Designer: BSTY

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The dual-action cleaning process eliminates the guesswork and multiple steps that make floor cleaning such a chore. The machine vacuums first with 20,000Pa suction, removing all dry debris, pet hair, and dust before the mopping phase begins. This prevents the common problem of pushing dirt around with a wet mop, ensuring that the subsequent steam cleaning actually cleans rather than just redistributing the mess.

The mix-free dual-tank system deserves special attention as the real innovation here. The 600ml clean water tank holds only fresh water for mopping, while the 1-liter dirty water tank collects all the grime, debris, and contaminated water. This separation means your floors are always washed with pristine water, never the murky mixture that traditional mops create after just a few passes.

The cordless design transforms how you approach floor cleaning entirely. With 40 minutes of runtime per charge, you can tackle most homes in a single session without hunting for outlets or managing tangled cords. The lightweight build and 180° flat reach mean you can easily maneuver under furniture, around corners, and into tight spaces that traditional cleaning tools often miss.

Of course, the performance features address the specific challenges that make floor cleaning frustrating. The 180°C true steam function sanitizes surfaces while breaking down stubborn stains, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals. The dedicated carpet mode removes dust and debris without tangling hair or over-wetting fibers, while the quiet mode operates at just 50dB for cleaning without disturbing family activities.

The self-maintenance capabilities set the BSTY apart from typical floor cleaners. High-temperature self-drying prevents mold and odors from developing inside the machine, while the automatic self-cleaning function reduces the hands-on maintenance that makes many people avoid regular floor cleaning. You can focus on using the device rather than constantly maintaining it.

That said, the user experience feels equally important to the technical capabilities. The modern aesthetic fits naturally into contemporary homes, while intuitive controls make operation straightforward for users of all ages. The separate chambers for dry debris and wet waste simplify disposal and maintenance, making the entire cleaning process more hygienic and less unpleasant.

The versatility becomes apparent when you consider different household scenarios. Pet owners can tackle both fur and muddy paw prints in one pass, parents can handle spills and crumbs simultaneously, and anyone with mixed flooring can transition seamlessly from hardwood to carpet without switching tools or settings.

You’ll notice how the BSTY addresses the psychological barriers that often prevent regular floor cleaning. The cordless convenience eliminates setup friction, the quiet operation removes timing restrictions, and the effective results provide the satisfaction that makes cleaning feel worthwhile rather than futile.

The design philosophy reflects BSTY’s broader mission to make cleaning smarter, easier, and even inspiring. By combining multiple functions into a single, well-designed tool, the company demonstrates how thoughtful engineering can transform mundane household tasks into something that feels almost effortless.

Click Here to Buy Now: $369 $599 ($230 off). Hurry, only 13/100 left. Raised over $37,000.

The post Experience Next-Level Shine with BSTY Dual-Action Cordless Floor Washing first appeared on Yanko Design.