A seamless integration of new and old
This 1920s pitched-roof home afforded a substantial garden on a 1,300-square-metre plot. While the manicured garden appears idyllic in the heritage-listed streetscape, the south- facing rear garden abuts a railway line. As the owners weren’t prepared to sacrifice the existing swimming pool, also orientated to the north, they were more than happy to see the rear addition re-envisaged.
Bright. Axis. Integrated.
A large new wing to the south was added, including the integration of the original brick stables. One leaves the original part of the house and moves into a traditional-style open plan kitchen, dining and living area, with a glass-fronted wine cellar conveniently placed a stone’s throw from the dining table. The architects also used the 1920s architectural vernacular in this extension, combining similar red bricks, timber-ended gables and a pitched terracotta tiled roof. However, while the original windows follow the colonial style of treatment, the windows in the new wing are considerably enlarged to allow the northern light to permeate. This approach also means that there’s a stronger connection to the garden, with the swimming pool appearing almost as an extension of the new informal living area.
One of the main challenges with the orientation of this home, given the original house faces north and the new wing is orientated to the south, was bringing natural light into the core of the kitchen. As a result, there’s a generous skylight above the kitchen bench, almost identical to its length. There’s also a ‘crank’ in the rear floorplan that allows for additional northern light. And what were originally the stables is now a scullery for the kitchen and an entertaining space directly above. For the owner, who is a golfing enthusiast, there’s also now a putting green on the first-floor terrace.
Photography by Ben Moynihan