Not every project needs a boutique practice. But if your home carries heritage constraints, a complex site, layers of planning history, or simply deserves more than a templated response, that's where we come in.
Kister Architects is a Melbourne-based practice with 25 years of experience in high-end residential architecture, heritage renovation, and the kind of meticulous documentation that gets projects built the way they were designed. We operate across Port Phillip, Yarra, Glen Eira, and the Mornington Peninsula, and we work with clients who understand that good architecture takes time, expertise, and genuine collaboration.
We are a small studio by intention. Every project receives Ilana's direct involvement from first conversation to final inspection. You work with the person whose name is on the door.
Our design thinking is grounded in three convictions.
Place matters. We read a site carefully before we put pencil to paper. Solar access, heritage context, council overlay, streetscape character, and the way morning light moves through a space all shape our response before the design has a line.
Detail is the work. A well-resolved building is one where the decisions that don't call attention to themselves are the ones that carry the most weight. We are precise about materials, junctions, and the quality of light in a room.
Buildings should earn their footprint. Every project we take on is designed to be energy efficient, spatially generous, and genuinely liveable for the long term. We draw on biophilic design principles not as a trend, but as a foundational commitment to connecting people with the natural environment.
We have particular expertise in heritage overlay projects, where the tension between original fabric and contemporary living is most productively resolved through deep knowledge of planning law, building regulation, and architectural history. We enjoy that complexity. It makes the work better.
We are a boutique design focused architecture practice based in Melbourne.
Engaged in projects large and small, our studio specialises in high quality residential architecture and interiors.
We design spaces that are beautiful in their own right, whilst providing a blank canvas for clients to live their dream. We use materials that are appropriate for the site that will age well. We believe buildings should be energy efficient and space efficient. Each of our projects is unique to the particular client and site. We listen and respond to, the client’s brief, the site’s typography, memory and context. “Same, same” is not in our lexicon. We seek out new materials and use everyday materials in new and unexpected/innovative ways and always strive for world best practices. We consider the whole project, integrating architecture, interiors and landscape for a seamless environment.
We are known for our subtle detailing, lighting and volumes that create unexpected moments, spaciousness and intimacy. We have extensive experience in dealing with tricky sites, local councils and heritage issues, which we believe is pivotal in order to facilitate the path from concept design through to building and completion. We make sure that we are on site collaborating with the owner and builder to ensure that the design intent is carried throughout the process.
Our designs are driven by Biophilic principals, an approach that seeks to connect building occupants more closely with nature and the environment. We are passionate about creating enriched environments that feed and nourish our health and promote well-being through space and architecture.
Architecture is not just about a sketch on a table napkin: it’s an exciting process that starts with an initial concept and evolves into functional and beautiful buildings. We create spaces that surprise and delight with the constant changes of seasons and light. We believe construction is a handmade art. Architecture’s wonder is in paring back the design so that it not only is an object of beauty, but becomes a vessel for its intended function.
ILANA KISTER
Director/Design Architect
Ilana founded Kister Architects in 2001 after graduating from RMIT with a Bachelor of Architecture (Honours). Her practice spans concept design, heritage impact assessment, full documentation, builder coordination, and contract administration.
She has developed extensive knowledge across Victorian planning scheme overlays, heritage citation, ResCode and NCC compliance, and the council processes of Port Phillip, Yarra, Glen Eira, and Mornington Peninsula. She is known for close working relationships with clients and builders alike, and for a design sensibility that is disciplined, materially grounded, and responsive to the specific history and character of each site.
DANIELLE FEDDEN
Design Draftsperson
Danielle brings 25 years of experience across high-end residential, multi-residential, and large-scale commercial projects. She holds an Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Architectural Drafting) and contributes precision documentation and drawing quality that underpins every project at Kister Architects.
Associate diploma in applied science (architectural drafting)
