Riverside Modern at Walsh Street: Jake Taylor & Jack Lovel on Melbourne’s Modernist Homes

Walsh Street in South Yarra, Melbourne, offers more than a house tour; it’s the setting for an evening that threads architecture, photography and local history. At 290 Walsh Street, guests gather inside Robin Boyd’s iconic Walsh Street residence to hear Jake Taylor and Jack Lovel discuss their new book, Riverside Modern (Thames & Hudson), a focused photographic and architectural record of Studley Park’s post‑war houses. The event pairs measured conversation with the quiet intensity of a heritage interior—cork floors, mid‑century joinery and framed views that explain why these homes still matter. Riverside Modern traces the neighbourhood’s architectural arc from the 1940s through the 1970s, showcasing work by Robin Boyd, Peter McIntyre, Kevin Borland, C. Victor Dumbrell and McGlashan Everist. The book—and the talk—situate those houses against Studley Park’s hilltop canopy, towering eucalypts and the nearby Birrarung (Yarra River), explaining how local landscape and light shaped post‑war design choices. Jack Lovel’s photographic approach is clean and graphic; Jake Taylor’s architectural perspective grounds each image in construction, materiality and domestic intent. The Walsh Street event is also a story about collaboration. Jake and Jack first met at this address before creating the book together, and the launch evening includes an option to pre‑purchase Riverside Modern and collect a copy at the event. The setting itself matters: a restored heritage interior provides an intimate context for detailed discussion about conservation, adaptation and the sensory qualities—light, texture and cork flooring—that make modernist houses legible. Note practical details: attendees must be 16 years and over, large bags are checked at entry, and stiletto or pointed heels aren’t permitted to protect the cork floors. If you need mobility support the Robin Boyd Foundation requests emails to [email protected] because the heritage building cannot be fully modified for universal access. For Melbourne visitors curious about mid‑century domestic architecture, the talk is a compact primer delivered by practitioners: Taylor, a registered architect with projects across Melbourne and San Francisco, and Lovel, a Melbourne-based architectural photographer whose images aim for honest representation over embellishment. Sponsors Brickworks Building Products, Konpira Maru Wines and Yumbo Soda support the launch, bringing a civic edge to what is essentially a focused conversation about place, practice and preservation. If you’re in town for design, photography or architecture, an evening at Walsh Street turns a book launch into a close‑up lesson on why Studley Park remains one of Australia’s richest post‑war architectural landscapes. Tickets are limited to preserve the intimate setting, so book in advance through the event referral link; the format is conversational with time for audience questions, and the evening often attracts architects, photographers and design-minded locals eager to compare notes and study details up close. Expect a focused, unhurried program and lively discussion.