Meet Maxine Scalabrino
Designing for people and environment
Maxine Scalabrino and Melanie Pinto are the experienced, creative and versatile duo behind Scalabrino Architecture. Both have a passion for building design that respects the environment and enhances the way people live. They draw upon the creative melting pot of their diverse backgrounds, working collaboratively and consistently achieving flawless residential and commercial design.
Maxine Scalabrino | Principal Architect
Maxine Scalabrino is a skilled, versatile architect whose flawless, high-end designs are dotted around Sydney eastern suburbs. With an extraordinary eye for what works, and an exceptional ear for listening, she creates enduring, life-enriching spaces her clients love.
Maxine works without the constraint of a signature style, preferring to focus on client vision and site potential. What does run constant is a quiet assuredness of design. This is reflected in Maxine’s calm, utterly approachable manner that makes it so easy and enjoyable to work with her.
Growing up in South Africa instilled this sense of calm in Maxine. Taking long swims through the icy currents of the Atlantic Ocean, she would marvel at the beauty around her:
“The blue hues of the ocean with the backdrop of the mountain and flora, are some of my fondest childhood memories. These textures, movements and colours feed into the designs I create.”
Starting a degree in building science, Maxine soon discovered her passion for design and changed courses. She graduated in architecture and came first in her class at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Studying both disciplines has given her a unique ability to resolve site issues while maintaining exquisite, seamless design.
Maxine has worked in the Sydney building industry for over 20 years, both independently and with developers. Her versatility extends to new homes, dual occupancies, apartments, renovations, residential developments and office fitouts.
Melanie Pinto | Associate
Melanie is an architectural designer and Feng Shui practitioner with a passion for designing meaningful and logical spaces. She loves to create symbiotic relationships between people and places, such that a house becomes a haven where inhabitants feel their most balanced and comfortable.
Growing up in Portugal, Melanie was surrounded by architecture rich with the expression of centuries-old cultural tradition. Studying architecture in this context inspired her to design spaces with a strong sense of meaning and belonging. Melanie graduated in 2008 with a Masters Degree in Architecture at the University Lusiada of Lisbon, Portugal.
Returning to Australia, Melanie studied Feng Shui — the ancient Chinese science of building design and placement. Feng Shui promotes harmony and happiness in design by understanding the individual energy of a location and structure, and the imprint its inhabitants will bring to the space.
Feng Shui has enriched Melanie’s architectural capabilities throughout more than a decade in the Sydney building industry. She draws upon the art of placement to augment the flow and function of her designs while taking time to comprehend each client's story — their needs, wants and lifestyle — to create beautifully tailored homes with an organic synchronicity that clients feel and love.
Please visit our portfolios to learn more about designing your beautiful space with Scalabrino Architecture.