PARTY OF FIVE

A sociable couple and their three kids craved open-plan areas for entertaining but also wanted plenty of privacy so they turned to a creative architect for help

DAN F STAPLETON

Gus Balbontin, his partner Storrm and their three children are used to sharing space. Up until a few years ago, the kids cohabited a single bedroom in the family’s weatherboard cottage in suburban Melbourne. After lights out, Gus and Storrm would often host large dinner parties. “The house is right in front of the kids’ school, so it gets circulated by lots of different visitors, all the time,” says Gus. “There are kids and parents in the morning, kids and parents in the afternoon.” The busy dad, who used to be an executive at Lonely Planet before becoming an investor and speaker, plays in a band, too. Rehearsals would often take place at the cottage. As the Balbontin children neared adolescence, the couple began thinking about an expansion. Gus says…

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Inside Out (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2021

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