The modern design trend is to try and produce houses that have a very neat and well-defined look with sleek and precise form and most often a cubic or rectangular geometry. But The Hive in Melbourne is a modern home that does not really stay true to any of these qualities and it is precisely this aspect of its form, which attracts one and all.

On the outside, the contemporary structure sports a graffiti-styled design with precast walls that display various figures and arrows, giving the walls a lively personality of their own. And this look makes twice the impact at night with thoughtful lighting bringing the ‘Graffiti’ nature of the walls alive.

This 70s and 80s ‘hip-hop’ style of the exterior might fool you into thinking that the interior is clad with bright and vivid shades and Retro furniture that take you back in time. But that is precisely where the Hive surprises you and of course, even derives its name from. The interiors have angular design lines that mimic the form of a bee hive and give you the feeling that you are in fact entering one. But this one is completely (or mighty close to it) contained in black and white!

Everything here is in angular and polygon shaped and looks like boxes of black embedded in a white background. Color is bare minimal and you feel like you are almost transported into a different universe. True to its name, the Hive is both remarkable and rare. [Design by ITN Architects]