This two bedroom apartment is located in a mid-1960s block in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney. The rectangular plan is defined by full height glazing to all rooms, with expansive views over Rushcutters Bay. The concept involved rejuvenating a tired apartment by creating a large and light-filled open plan living space.
The owners originally approached us with the view of demolishing the existing house and replacing with two town houses (inspired by neighbouring examples). The house is listed as individually significant by the local council. The owners were quickly talked away from their original ideas and we recommend a sympathetic extension to the dwelling. To our excitement their vision changed with a view to upgrading the house for their own personal use.
A throwback to mid-century modernism; classic volumes, lines and details permeate this mona vale residence.
Approached to increase and improve the living areas and connectivity with the outdoors within a beautifully presented coastal home in sydney’s northern beaches, our design methodology was to respect the era of the existing structure, while maximising efficiency with a contemporary arrangement and improving the building’s environmental credentials.
Driven by our clients’ love of gardening and a minimalist but tactile ethos, the design evolved to centre around a deep soil green roof.
Sydney’s ultimate trees are fine Port Jackson Figs. The pachyderms of the vegetal reign: fruit bearing, with dark glossy leaves and populated by many bird and bat colonies, they form the backdrop to “the new Twin Peaks” house.
Built on the bones of a solid 1970s Rose Bay home with an existing single roof ridge to the front and a substantial addition to the rear under a new second roof ridge; these design elements are the aspects that differentiate this new Twin Peaks from the original, Queen Anne, gabled Twin Peaks.
A single-family residence on a narrow site, this stunning home built for entertaining, features a unique lap-pool abutting a double height social space which spills out to the rear BBQ area. Living green wall screens to the front and side façades provide privacy and a sense of retreat.
The clients’ brief was for a home which could be both a springboard for entertaining and a private family retreat. The site constraints and the practice’s commitment to passive solar design and natural daylighting drove much of the resulting form.
This contemporary reconfiguration of a Victorian terrace overlooks a new roof garden. The garden follows the traditional gabled roof form and serves as an external link to the tree canopy of the adjacent pocket park. First floor rooms are reconfigured as contiguous space allowing daylight to permeate into the terrace.
Designed for a family 4 (and 1 on the way) Thornbury House is a collective effort and collaboration between Architect and Interior Designer, Kali Cavanagh, and builder FrankBuilt.
The Client approached us with a fairly simple brief – Provide a light-filled, simple, durable and modern extension that doesn’t require excessive heating and cooling all year round. They also wanted to be able to walk directly from the living room onto a lawn whilst entertaining and have the kids roam inside and out freely and within full sight.
Green Shutter House is a little project to convert a dour old post office into a beach house. Double-blinded, high sill-ed windows and boxy rooms made the original house frustratingly closed to the great outdoors. A few simple changes have relaxed the house into the more laid-back pace of life at the beach.
It now catches the holiday vibes and opens itself to beautiful views over serene native wetlands as you listen to the muted roar of wild surf beaches from the dune behind. We like to think that it’s finally found it’s mojo as a sunny summer beach house.
With Beyond house we seek to stretch the boundaries of the typical terrace house.
The existing heritage house was south-facing, dark, cold, narrow and overshadowed by neighbouring walls on both side boundaries. It’s owners, a family of three, were detached from the world beyond.
They are serious about sustainability and wanted the new addition to be naturally comfortable, using sun for heating, breezes for cooling, water harvesting, solar power, recycled materials (even re-using the old kitchen!) and integrating and indoor clothes airer.
Located in Hawthorn, this early Victorian House, known as ‘Grasmere’, has been transformed into a bright and welcoming family home, whilst also retaining, and celebrating its original Victorian character. From the restored front rooms, the new extension unfolds beyond, wrapped around a new centralised courtyard. This two-storey addition was carefully designed around a 100-year-old Mulberry tree, and directly connects to the rear garden with intermediate outdoor decks.