# Converted Corner Residences The Corner Shop Transforms a Former Melbourne Milk Bar By Amy Duong | Published 2026-06-24 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-corner-shop References: [kisterarchitects.au](https://www.kisterarchitects.com.au/)  The Corner Shop is a [three-storey residence](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/no-ordinary-house) designed by Kister Architects in Melbourne's Prahran suburb. Created as the home of founder Ilana Kister and her daughters, the project converts a [former corner store](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/xstudio) that operated for more than a century. The residence occupies an original 287-square-metre site and incorporates an additional 90-square-metre lot acquired during construction. The original bottle-green tiled shopfront was retained, while former street-facing windows were replaced with [glass bricks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/glassbrick-apartment). Entry to the home is organized through a landscaped courtyard accessed from the original shop entrance. The interior features oak flooring, wall panelling, and ceilings throughout the living spaces. A perforated white steel staircase connects all three levels and is illuminated by triangular skylights above. The second floor contains three bedrooms, a family bathroom, and a living area. Image Credit: Kister Architects ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.9/10 - Popularity: 5% | Activity: 5% | Freshness: 78% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Adaptive Retail Residences:** Former neighborhood storefronts are becoming distinctive family homes that preserve street-level heritage while expanding the market for compact urban conversions. - **Heritage Facade Preservation:** Retained tiles, original entrances, and recognizable shopfront details create new value in residential design by blending local memory with contemporary living needs. - **Courtyard-led Urban Living:** Landscaped internal entries and light-filled circulation spaces are reshaping dense residential layouts with more private, flexible, and climate-responsive domestic environments. ### Where This Applies - **Residential Architecture:** Architects are finding new potential in small commercial sites where layered histories, constrained footprints, and added parcels support highly customized urban housing models. - **Urban Redevelopment:** Underused corner shops and aging high-street properties represent a growing redevelopment category that can diversify housing stock without erasing neighborhood character. - **Interior Design:** Warm timber surfaces, sculptural stairs, glass bricks, and skylit volumes signal demand for interiors that merge industrial reuse with refined family-focused comfort. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Colorful Sports Watches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pioneer-centre-seconds-sun-berry.md) - [Flying Carousel Watch](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/freak-x.md) - [High‑Performance Fragrance Offerings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/French-Cowboy.md) - [Calming Mousse Supplements](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/comfort-zone-cat-calming-mousse.md) - [Tequila-Branded Tournament Activations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/casamigos-club-house.md) - [Clinical Research Labs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Toronto-headquarters.md) - [Music Archive Centers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bruce-springsteen-center.md) - [Hillside Modular Houses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/white-modular-house.md) - [Memorial Display Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/transcendence-urn.md)