![]() We do not feel the urban density around us, because we’re on the third level – we’ve got views of all the treetops, views of the park and views of the city. The irony is that from our living space, we feel like we’re in the country. One of the big selling features of this property is we’re on a corner, and down the side street is a cul-de-sac with a park at the end. We’re surrounded by apartment buildings or flats, which are all two or three storeys high. And our grandkids sometimes come down and play in the gallery space they drag out all the chairs and bring blankets down.Ĭharles: We’re in Prahran, quite a dense inner-urban suburb. We can set up long trestle tables for 40 or 50 people, which is very hard to fit into a normal house. ![]() Luckily, we’re very ordered.Ĭharles: Sometimes we tap into the gallery space for when we have large family celebrations. We’ve got screens that can contain a space or open it up, and we’ve got a large terrace with glass doors that can be pushed right back. Leah: Because there are three tiers, you don’t necessarily have to go into the gallery – it’s a discrete module that we made a conscious decision to not integrate into the plan of the residential compound. ![]() What’s the day-to-day reality of living in this type of home? We offer food when you come into our apartment, because it’s natural to offer hospitality when you come into someone’s home. You’re not visiting a white cubed institution you’re visiting a synergy of gallery space and home together. Something I learned through my practice is the best projects come through collaboration, because collaborators tend to edit out each other’s bad ideas, and the better ideas tend to prevail. The place is a bit like a piano accordion that can expand and contract to suit the needs of the circumstances. The challenge lay in making the house comfortable for both two people and 100 people. That gave us the confidence that we could do our own thing. On our travels, we visited private museums and saw that each one was individualistic and idiosyncratic because they reflect the personality of the collector. We spent time thinking through our vision for JAHM. JAHM also hosts evening lectures and other happenings such as concerts and charity events. Now they lead regular and intimate tours of their ever-changing exhibitions – which are followed by refreshments and socialising in their living quarters. They opened their home-gallery hybrid in 2016 to publicly share their passion for contemporary art and design, along with a collection of more than 350 pieces amassed over decades.Ĭharles is a former architect who co-founded major practices SJB and Plus Architecture, while Leah was the adult education coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Australia until 2021. The lower two floors are dedicated exhibition spaces, and the Justins live on top. The three-storey building, formerly a block of flats, is a striking geometric presence on a Prahran corner site. ![]() As the founders of the Justin Art House Museum (JAHM), Charles and Leah Justin invite the outside world in – while maintaining a peaceful sanctuary to wind down in at the end of every day. ![]() Many of us like our homes to be a haven from the outside world. ![]()
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