Nalin Perera (director Designplex 21 Architects) was initially referred to us by friends who had significant extensions done to their house through him and were highly satisfied with the outcome.

Our primary brief to Nalin was to convert our single detached home to 2 units, functioning independently. A complete renovation including open plan lounge and dining, bathrooms, bedrooms, courtyards and facelift to the facades were proposed as the brief developed. I found Nalin easy to talk to and add our ideas into a design that not only suited all regulations but also met our expectations and budget.

Nalin’s commitment to the job was considerable, with regular one-to-one meetings held at site to navigate us through the design process. The final design produced a spacious, contemporary conversion which also employed sustainable and energy efficient principles.

The work is currently in progress. We would not hesitate to recommend Nalin to anyone wishing to hire his services as an architect.

Thanks, Keith.

Our project involved converting a huge 230 sqm metal clad, introverted shed in the rear wing of our farmhouse in Merton, Victoria (about 150 km north-east of Melbourne), into a contemporary living space that would seamlessly integrate into the rest of the house.

The house sits on a sprawling 25ha rural property and has elevated views over 8 paddocks, rolling down to a creek, with the ranges in the distance.

We engaged Nalin Perera, architect of Designplex 21 Architects to undertake the design of our conversion. The project assigned to him was both architectural and interior design in scope.

Nalin visited the site in 2021 and carried out initial site observations. He proposed we open out to the surroundings and bring that life into our new space. He detailed the design in collaboration with our family over the following months, until we were satisfied. We eventually arrived at a contemporary open plan living, dining and entertainment area plus an outdoor pool and barbeque deck that connects with the surrounds and enhances our family’s lifestyle. He suggested we retain certain structural elements of the original shed to convey a sense of memory. The exterior resonates with modern shed-homes of the region.

The construction is currently in progress, and we are excited about occupying it once completed. Some impressions of the completed project are attached to this message.

Nalin is a senior architect with an acute sense of design and decades of experience. We recommend him highly for interstate jobs.