Houzz Tour: A New Floor Plan Creates Extra Space in a Small Home
An efficient and well-considered floor plan improved the functionality and living experience in this two-bedroom house
Rebecca Gross
11 February 2021
Design writer and historian. I write about contemporary architecture and design, and I study cultural history through the lens of architecture, design and visual culture. I have a Masters in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons The New School for Design, New York. My latest book is called "Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary Interiors with a postmodern twist."
Design writer and historian. I write about contemporary architecture and design,... More
Creating more space is a common request on client briefs, especially for small heritage cottages. But oftentimes there is no room to extend backwards or upwards, in which case it necessitates reworking the floor plan to create more – and better – space in house.
This two-bedroom weatherboard house in Sydney, NSW, occupied most of the property so an extension was out of the question. “Instead, the design brief required we work within the existing footprint of the house and rearrange the spaces to achieve a more functional layout to suit the client’s needs,” says architect Kitty Lee, director of Kitty Lee Architecture.
This two-bedroom weatherboard house in Sydney, NSW, occupied most of the property so an extension was out of the question. “Instead, the design brief required we work within the existing footprint of the house and rearrange the spaces to achieve a more functional layout to suit the client’s needs,” says architect Kitty Lee, director of Kitty Lee Architecture.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple – a software engineer who collects sneakers, and an accountant who loves yoga – and their chow chow dog, Chowder
Location: Sydney, NSW
Size: 103 square metres with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an additional mezzanine/guest room
Architecture: Kitty Lee Architecture
Building: Wyatt Projects
Joinery: Intrend Joinery
Photography and styling: The Palm Co
The client purchased the house after looking in the area for several years. It had a small garden and was close to the parks for Chowder. But they wanted to improve the interior space and the street appeal.
Lee developed a new colour scheme for the exterior, including repainting the roof sheeting, adding timber battens on top of the front fence and a new timber-battened side gate.
Who lives here: A couple – a software engineer who collects sneakers, and an accountant who loves yoga – and their chow chow dog, Chowder
Location: Sydney, NSW
Size: 103 square metres with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an additional mezzanine/guest room
Architecture: Kitty Lee Architecture
Building: Wyatt Projects
Joinery: Intrend Joinery
Photography and styling: The Palm Co
The client purchased the house after looking in the area for several years. It had a small garden and was close to the parks for Chowder. But they wanted to improve the interior space and the street appeal.
Lee developed a new colour scheme for the exterior, including repainting the roof sheeting, adding timber battens on top of the front fence and a new timber-battened side gate.
The internal renovation improved the functionality of the house, opening up the rear to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area that connected to the rear courtyard. Two bathrooms have been relocated from the back of the house to the centre, where they are closer to the two bedrooms, and the bedrooms have been updated and new wardrobes added.
“The most important task was to redesign the floor plan to achieve a more seamless connection between the different areas used for sleeping, bathrooms and living,” says Lee.
“The most important task was to redesign the floor plan to achieve a more seamless connection between the different areas used for sleeping, bathrooms and living,” says Lee.
Working within the constraints of the existing house provided both a challenge and an opportunity. Retaining most of the structure minimised waste during construction, maintained a small building footprint and allowed the consumption of resources to be kept to a minimum.
Thinking of renovating? Find an architect near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
Thinking of renovating? Find an architect near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
The view down the hallway was formerly of the staircase to the mezzanine.
It sat alongside the living area, which had a low ceiling height.
Lee transformed the former living area into two bathrooms plus a walk-in pantry and laundry, and relocated the staircase without taking up space from the hallway. It now wraps around the new bathrooms, and skylights bring more natural light into the centre of the house.
Anton Gunmetal wall light: Volker Haug
Anton Gunmetal wall light: Volker Haug
Chowder loved to sleep under the existing staircase, so he has his own purpose-built cubby now…
…Complete with a porthole window to provide a view from his cubby to the main living area.
Dog cubby painted in Yolande: Dulux
Dog cubby painted in Yolande: Dulux
Previously, the kitchen was dark and outdated and didn’t have enough space to accommodate the fridge.
Lee redesigned the kitchen, creating space for the dining area alongside. The curved island benchtop is convenient for ease of movement around the kitchen and dining area, and the walk-in pantry and laundry is concealed behind a door at the end of the room. “The owners were surprised that they were able to gain a walk-in-pantry that wasn’t part of their design brief,” says Lee.
A splashback window brings more natural light into the kitchen and dining space and provides a view of the trees outside. “The house has been designed to maximise the use of daylight and therefore reduce the reliance on electric lighting during the day. All the lights installed in the house use low energy-consumption LED lamps,” says Lee.
The walk-in-pantry/laundry is an extension of the kitchen, and includes space for the coffee machine and wine fridge.
The Moon Garden terrazzo benchtop provided the starting point for the materials palette. “The soft grey colour has been picked up in the joinery, tiles, carpet and curtains, whilst the specks of blush have inspired the use of warmer tones in the timber, bathroom tiles and the paint colour of Chowder’s cubby,” says Lee.
Moon Garden terrazzo: Fibonacci Stone; Half Round Tasmanian oak dowel cladding: Porta Timber; Grey Daze two-pack polyurethane: Dulux; Pale Oak engineered floorboards: Woodcut
Moon Garden terrazzo: Fibonacci Stone; Half Round Tasmanian oak dowel cladding: Porta Timber; Grey Daze two-pack polyurethane: Dulux; Pale Oak engineered floorboards: Woodcut
The new dining table, chairs and artwork by Kimmy Hogan complement the kitchen palette.
Ethnicraft Oak Bok dining table and Tolv Com dining chairs: Trit House; ‘Dreamer’ artwork: Kimmy Hogan
Ethnicraft Oak Bok dining table and Tolv Com dining chairs: Trit House; ‘Dreamer’ artwork: Kimmy Hogan
The new living room was created by demolishing the two old bathrooms at the rear of the house. The large, light-filled room takes up the full width of the house and flows seamlessly from the kitchen and dining area.
Felix sofa in Baxter Granite: King Living; Tolv Pensive Lounge Chair: Trit House
Felix sofa in Baxter Granite: King Living; Tolv Pensive Lounge Chair: Trit House
New sliding doors and timber steps improve the connection to the rear courtyard, and new clerestory windows replace the smaller original windows, opening up the house to sky and treetop views. “The addition of new windows and doors also encourages air movement and cross ventilation for improved passive cooling of the house,” says Lee.
Curtains: Kolong Interiors
Curtains: Kolong Interiors
The two existing bedrooms have been renovated with new carpet, wardrobes and timber shutters.
Streamline king bed: Sean Dix; Leo bedside tables: Grazia & Co; ‘Anthurium I’ artwork: Kimmy Hogan; shutters: Kolong Interiors
Streamline king bed: Sean Dix; Leo bedside tables: Grazia & Co; ‘Anthurium I’ artwork: Kimmy Hogan; shutters: Kolong Interiors
One of the wardrobes was specially designed to house the client’s sneaker collection.
Browse more contemporary bedrooms to inspire your own
Browse more contemporary bedrooms to inspire your own
The bathrooms are now located in the centre of the house where they are much more convenient for the bedrooms. The ensuite is off the second bedroom.
The main bathroom is accessed at the bottom of the stairs, and it borrows natural light from the ensuite through a highlight window above the vanity.
The mezzanine was redesigned to create a cosy second living room/guest room and is now also used as a work-from-home space.
“The design of this house demonstrates the importance of having an efficient and well-considered floor plan first and foremost,” says Lee. “When the owners approached me to redesign the house, they had an idea of how they wanted to achieve the brief, but I am proud that I was able to give them more than what they had imagined and create a house that feels so much brighter and larger without an extension.”
Your turn
Which elements of this design could work well in your own home? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Fancy a peek inside another beautiful home? Don’t miss this USA Houzz Tour: A Dream Mountain Home for a Lover of the Outdoors
Your turn
Which elements of this design could work well in your own home? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Fancy a peek inside another beautiful home? Don’t miss this USA Houzz Tour: A Dream Mountain Home for a Lover of the Outdoors
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Great transformation, so light and airy for the beautiful Australian light. Little Jem, I found the existing floor plan by clicking on all photos…
Brilliant! And so nice to see a quirky touch here and there.
Thank you, @sarah27_jones ! Doesn't it seem extraordinary that the original architects would have put the bathrooms at the very opposite end of the house from the bedrooms, with nowhere having a view of the garden ?!? Unbelievable - unless previous owners changed a sensible plan for some reason ... The new layout is just so logical, and "flows" well.