The LSD Residence is a striking, asymmetrical, and cement-heavy home in Victoria’s Toorak. The house has just been named a Silver Winner in the residential architecture category of the Melbourne Design Awards.

Robert Davidov is the architect of Toorak’s LSD Residence – named as an acronym of its owners surnames, it is a stunning and spacious home that uses a neutral palette to create warmth. Contrasting with the concrete walls are generous ceiling to floor glass windows on the second floor, with the blinds creating an intriguing pattern when the house is viewed from afar, and allowing residents privacy from the outside world.

The site of the house is narrow and long, and Davidov designed the residence itself to consist of three central blocks with two glazed interstitial zones containing the entrance and staircase, as well as the kitchen area. Wanting both a communal alfresco and bar area for social gatherings, and a separate kitchen for the real cooking and cleaning, the house features a butler’s kitchen placed in close proximity to the larger central island open kitchen.

The master bedroom makes the most of the cement and travertine composition of the residence, with a curved concrete slab concealing a shower and LED lighting contrasting with the natural lighting that is a principle feature of the rest of the house. For Davidov, “The curved wall of the shower animates the stark façade of the building, which, depending on the lighting levels and time of day emerges and submerges from view from the street.”

The LSD Residence plays with a palette of neutral colours, contrasting the cooler concrete with warm, blonde timbers, and prominent double-glazed glass.

Photography by Jack Lovel.

Davidov Partners Architects
davidov.com.au