“When you walk into a building which I have designed, the last thing I would want is for somebody to recognise it as a blue fruit design. ”
About blue fruit.
BLUE FRUIT is the studio of Virginia Blue, and with over 25 years experience as a commercial and residential designer, she has a formidable talent for listening, finding solutions and creating living environments which reflect's the owner's personality and lifestyle.
Without a stringent style to constrict her imagination, but a preference for sustainability-focussed design, her buildings vary to suit the client’s own personality and wish-list.
BLUE FRUIT provides both sensitive design for existing heritage homes (which may require renovation, restoration, alteration or extension) + contemporary design for new builds.
About the designer.
After graduating with a BA in Interior Design from Uni SA in 1991, Virginia worked in large architectural practices across Australia, always relishing the chance to practice design with a local flavour.
Working for the international architectural firms of Woods Bagot & then Hassell, Virginia designed retail (David Jones, Myer), commercial (Commonwealth Bank H.O.), hospitality (Darwin + Adelaide Casinos), educational and public buildings (including lead Interior Architect for the Roma Mitchell Commonwealth Law Courts building), winning various commercial design awards.
From Darwin in the North to Adelaide in the South, and in the East Coast capitals, the huge variety of landscapes and lifestyles provided constant inspiration for varied architectural responses.
After a stint in London, Virginia returned to Australia and embarked upon BLUE FRUIT in 2004 to explore how residential building design can reflect both the user's needs, and the user's personality.
Based in Melbourne, Virginia designs residential projects both here and around Australia.
It is the opportunity for responsive design which challenges her. Virginia's designs are also inspired by the surrounding landscape and context.
She prides herself that her buildings are not recognisable as a "blue fruit formula," but are more about bringing to life the dreams of the client, to create a space in which they love to live.
Having recently completed a Master of Urban Cultural Heritage at Uni Melbourne (2020), Virginia is delving deeper into working with buildings with heritage overlays, using a fresh approach.
From mid Victorian villas to post war Brutalist houses, she has a passion for working with older buildings to honour their origins - whilst making them exciting homes which work with our contemporary way of life. A home may be heritage listed, fall within a heritage overlay or simply be an older home with inherent character, which makes it unique. Virginia enjoys re-imagining them for modern expectations and lifestyles, in a manner which does not lose the original heritage appeal.
When working on new contemporary house designs, Virginia focusses on maximising sunlight deep into the layout, and incorporating passive design principles and eco-sensitive materials, to create spaces of warmth and personality.
Virginia is an Affiliate Member of the
Australian Institute of Architects.
