Self-employed musicians and educators, Kiri and Michael, were losing their creative focus to the demands of family life.
Practice sessions competed with household tasks, students’ lessons were interrupted by two inquisitive young boys, and musical flow was no match for this mess and mayhem.
But their Melwood Mod music studio – delivered mid-December and performance-ready by Christmas – hit all the right notes.
“It is a beautiful space, and fits into our garden so well, it is really a pleasure to go there to do my practice.”
A musical power couple
Music is at the centre of the Sollis household.
Kiri has been a flautist since the age of ten and today is a performer of serious standing, including as Principal Flute of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches and runs a busy tutoring program from the family home in Canberra. Her husband, Michael, is one of Australia’s most celebrated musicians, composers and creative voices and a multi-instrumentalist of extraordinary range. He’s the founder and director of the acclaimed Griffyn Ensemble – one of Australia’s most innovative contemporary chamber ensembles for which Kiri is also the flautist – and was the very first Artistic Director of Education at Musica Viva.
Together, they have built one of Canberra’s most celebrated musical partnerships – as collaborators, as colleagues, and as husband and wife.
Music is this couple’s life and livelihood.
In 2021, Michael was diagnosed with advanced cancer – a challenge he continues to face with remarkable grace, courage, humour, and creativity. Through it all, music has remained the constant for this couple and having a dedicated space at home to create, rehearse and find sanctuary in has never mattered more.
Music meets mayhem
But with a growing family, this space was becoming more and more elusive.
“This was becoming increasingly difficult in the house with all the busyness and mess that goes with two small boys,” Kiri explains.
The lounge room was the default practice space. But it was hard to focus with toys scattered across the floor, dishes stacked in the sink, and a visible to-do list of chores that couldn’t be ignored.
Teaching students from home came with its own set of complications. The doorbell would set Gypsy the dog off into her own unique harmonies. The boys would come running to see who had arrived. And students were expected to concentrate while surrounded by the beautiful, relentless mess of family life.
It wasn’t the professional environment Kiri wanted to offer her students. And it certainly wasn’t conducive to the kind of focused practice and rehearsal that being a professional musician requires.
They needed a music studio. A dedicated space where creativity didn’t have to compete with domestic demands. Somewhere students could discreetly arrive without being greeted by two excited children and a playful pooch. A place where music could find the quiet and concentration it deserves.
An obvious choice
But not just any music studio would do.
First to consider were aesthetics. Their 1970s split-level home called for a particular style to complement its classic architectural features and lines.
Secondly, the need was becoming urgent, and timing mattered. This music studio was needed fast.
And, of course – an important consideration for anyone – there was the value for money and return on investment.
“Greenspan had the right intersection between pricing and a style that complemented the style of our 1970s split-level, raked ceiling home, as well as being able to happen quickly, which was a real priority for us,” Kiri tells us.
But there was another practical consideration beyond aesthetics, price, and timeline.
“Also the fact there is room for insulation in the walls, which is not always the case with some of the single-skin cabin options on the market,” she continues.
In Canberra, where winters are freezing and summers sweltering, proper insulation wasn’t optional. It was essential for both year-round comfort and the acoustics needed in a professional music space.
“The choice was pretty obvious,” Kiri sums up, when asked why she chose Greenspan.
Pitch perfect
There was one design that stood out as the obvious choice, too.
The Melwood Mod.
“We wanted to maximise our available space so were looking for a rectangular, skillion roof cabin,” explains Kiri, while one particular detail sealed the deal.
“The highlight windows in the Mod range are such an enhancement to the space and a feature of our home which we were keen to continue into the cabin”.
These signature design details, unique to the Mod, would create a direct visual connection to the angular rooflines and architectural features of the main home. But the end result was far from being predetermined, with Kiri and Michael embracing the personalisation options and design flexibility afforded by building with Greenspan.
The versatile panel system allowed them to create the ideal footprint for their available space and needs – a spacious, and practically laid out 3.2m x 7.2m with plenty of room to comfortably accommodate their range of instruments and equipment as well as students.
And bringing the whole look together was effortless, guided by an experienced Design Solutioneer and a 3D configurator.
“It was easy to imagine how it would look with the computer graphics and considering where to place doors and so on,” Kiri recalls of the process.
Details make the difference
But here’s where the flexibility really shone through.
Kiri had previously salvaged some beautiful wind-out timber windows, perfectly in keeping with the style of their home. These custom vintage windows were retrofitted on site to create a unique corner of glass, enhancing the already naturally well-lit interior and echoing the 70s character of the main house.
Front and centre are timber-framed glass doors, flanked by timber sidelights set into narrower panels with matching highlights above. To one side of the roof, the overhanging eave was omitted for a perfectly snug fit, maximising space inside and out. And to the rear of the music studio is the game-changer – a single door, allowing separate access directly from the driveway.
Now, her music students can discreetly come and go, without any need to enter the main house. No excitement, no disruption. Just arrive, enjoy their lesson in a clutter and noise-free environment, and leave.
“It’s great to have my students not needing to enter the house, where the mess is visible, the doorbell sets off the dog and brings the kids to interact,” Kiri confirms.
Performance ready in weeks
Remember that timeline priority?
Just a few short weeks after finalising the design, the building was delivered…and installed the very same day.
“It went up smoothly on Dec 12, an electrician came and did all the internals on Dec 13, a carpenter cut in 2 extra timber windows on Dec 15, and plasterer on Dec 16-18…Can’t believe it!” Kiri recalls of the timing. These trades also confirmed for the couple that they had invested wisely. “The plasterer, electrician and trim carpenter I used all thought the kit was great quality and value which I found reassuring,” she says.
From there, Kiri took over, painting the board and batten cladding “Pale Moss Green”, a beautiful soft colour that mirrors paintwork on the house. The exterior frame of the timber doors and windows were painted to match the white aluminium highlights, while the interior frames feature a warm stain that ties in with the underside of the overhanging eaves. This relaxed, soft palette is pulled together with timber flooring in the same colour, proudly fitted by Kiri herself! The interior walls are painted a chalky neutral, aptly named “Grand Piano” – it’s a combination of complementary tones that work perfectly together.
Just like music.
A space that’s well deserved
While the studio is Kiri’s domain for teaching and daily practice, it is ultimately a shared space where two dedicated musicians can find the creative flow that family life inside the house makes so hard to come by.
“It is much easier to focus and be productive now that I can practice out of the house, and I am enjoying my practice more for being able to do it in such a lovely space,” Kiri confirms.
Work and family life can now coexist without constant collision. For a family that has navigated more than most in recent years, this matters enormously.
“It is really a pleasure to go there to do my practice. It is really nice to have that separation of spaces to allow clear focus on work, rather than practicing in the loungeroom and getting distracted by all the tidying up jobs and dirty dishes vying for attention.”
And as for Kiri’s students? They arrive via the driveway, enter through that dedicated rear door, and step into a professional music studio. No navigating through a busy family home. No encounters with enthusiastic dogs or curious children. Just a clear, direct path to their lesson in a beautiful, purpose-built space.
Even Gypsy has adjusted to the new arrangement – though she’s still been known to add her own harmonies when Kiri practises!
For Kiri and Michael for whom music has been livelihood, love and lifeline, this is a space that honours their incredible talents, commitment, and passion. Somewhere they can both find creativity, stillness, and sanctuary.
And we don’t know two musicians who deserve it more.
(Three if you count Gypsy!)
Kiri and Michael’s music studio is a Melwood Mod 23 measuring 3.2m x 7.2m.
It features board and batten cladding, timber-framed full glass doors with matching sidelights. Highlight windows are in “White”, and Colorbond® roofing is “Woodland Grey”.
All measurements are approximate.
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