Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Brave Addition Breaks New Ground for Melbourne Family Home
An Edwardian cottage gets a radical renovation with a dynamic deck that wraps a couple and two children in style
A desire for family togetherness drove the design of this award-winning addition, which has transformed a traditional Edwardian house into a relaxing home for the owners that contrasts old and new with finesse. “They liked the Edwardian house, but wanted the additions to feel distinctly modern and spacious, but not open plan,” says Dig Design architect Lindsay Douglas. “Introspective spaces of the existing home were to transform into light-filled spaces at the rear.”
BEFORE: This is the back of the house prior to the renovation.
AFTER: What a difference! The back deck not only extends the living area and provides shade, it transforms this family home into a cutting-edge abode that’s earned its designers numerous awards.
From the front, the home is cottage cute. Apart from replacing the front door with a new wide-format modern pivot door and doing minor restorations to the facade, from the street the home looks as traditional as ever.
The new front door is a clue, however, about what’s to come as you move through to the rear of the home.
The new front door is a clue, however, about what’s to come as you move through to the rear of the home.
Douglas replaced the floorboards to the entry and passage with new wide-format walnut floorboards, and walnut tones were used throughout the home to act as a bridge for the transition from old to new.
Timber floor in ‘Classic Walnut’: Royal Oak Floors
Timber floor in ‘Classic Walnut’: Royal Oak Floors
The cellar sits behind a full-height glass wall with space to put 600-plus bottles on display. Joinery lighting and uplighting from the walnut flooring adds drama. Douglas also made sure there was enough room for a chair – choosing which wine you feel like drinking can take time and reflection, after all.
The transition zone is a dynamic space flanked on one side by a feature wine cellar and the floating stairs on the other.
The insular, introspective and private spaces of the existing home transition into the open, light-filled spaces of the addition to form modern spaces featuring polished concrete floors and operable glass walls. Douglas designed the home to flow easily and feel relaxed despite the contrasts between old and new.
This is the second project Dig Design architects and interior designers have worked on for the owner of this home, who was looking to find a balance between spatial distinction and human connectedness.
Walls: Dulux ‘Whisper White’; Jasper sofa: King Furniture; armchairs: Marcel Breur Wassily; coffee table: Isamu Noguchi
This is the second project Dig Design architects and interior designers have worked on for the owner of this home, who was looking to find a balance between spatial distinction and human connectedness.
Walls: Dulux ‘Whisper White’; Jasper sofa: King Furniture; armchairs: Marcel Breur Wassily; coffee table: Isamu Noguchi
The living room is separated from the kitchen with an open shelf room divider, continuing the walnut seen in the floorboards upon entry.
Along the main wall of the living room, a joinery unit acts as both a bench seat and an entertainment unit.
Natural light washes down the wall with a full-length hidden skylight. “At night the light can continue with soft pelmet lighting that mimics the same light that washes down the wall during the day,” Douglas says.
Polished concrete floor: Hanson
Natural light washes down the wall with a full-length hidden skylight. “At night the light can continue with soft pelmet lighting that mimics the same light that washes down the wall during the day,” Douglas says.
Polished concrete floor: Hanson
Artwork: Rone
The colour and materials palette of the living room is echoed in the kitchen.
Sink and tapware: Elite Appliances; cooking appliances: Electrolux
Sink and tapware: Elite Appliances; cooking appliances: Electrolux
The kitchen features polytec Ravine laminate in ‘Natural Oak’. The Caesarstone benchtops are a mix of colours: ‘Raven’ and ‘Oyster’. The Caesarstone splashback is in ‘Raven’.
Walls: Dulux ‘Whisper White’
Walls: Dulux ‘Whisper White’
The butler’s pantry, accessed through hidden doors, sits behind the kitchen. The pantry leads to the laundry.
Cabinets: Polytec Matt ‘Classic White’; benchtop: Caesarstone ‘Organic White’; sink and tapware: Franke; dishwasher: Miele
Cabinets: Polytec Matt ‘Classic White’; benchtop: Caesarstone ‘Organic White’; sink and tapware: Franke; dishwasher: Miele
The homeowners wanted their house to suit their needs now and adapt to their needs in the future. “Spaces have been created such that the family can be in different areas yet stay connected, or that they can come together for shared experiences,” Douglas says.
Stools: Johannes Andersen Allegra in black leather and walnut
Stools: Johannes Andersen Allegra in black leather and walnut
Lighting: About Space
The back deck blurs the boundaries of the home’s interior and exterior, and increases the sense of space.
“This is reinforced in the detailing of the interiors with window frames set into the floor and ceiling,” Douglas explains. “The use of large operable panels allows the interiors to join with exteriors to create large indoor/outdoor entertaining spaces – the curves make the verandah and deck feel like a single element, rather than a floor, some walls and a roof, making it a very dynamic space.”
“This is reinforced in the detailing of the interiors with window frames set into the floor and ceiling,” Douglas explains. “The use of large operable panels allows the interiors to join with exteriors to create large indoor/outdoor entertaining spaces – the curves make the verandah and deck feel like a single element, rather than a floor, some walls and a roof, making it a very dynamic space.”
Woodform timber decking in spotted gum combines with sealed bluestone paving and artificial turf in the backyard.
The timber-wrapped verandah frames a view into a small backyard with a very large tree. “The scale of the addition was in many ways determined by the tree,” Douglas says.
The rear verandah’s dynamic form was designed to draw people from inside the house to the yard.
“We are very proud of this house,” Douglas says. “It is a contemporary extension that you wouldn’t know about from the street and has a comfortable family feel whilst being a stimulating space playing with the details and contrasts throughout the home.”
Outdoor beanbag: Alta Beanbags; black cushions: Freedom
“We are very proud of this house,” Douglas says. “It is a contemporary extension that you wouldn’t know about from the street and has a comfortable family feel whilst being a stimulating space playing with the details and contrasts throughout the home.”
Outdoor beanbag: Alta Beanbags; black cushions: Freedom
While an undisputed focal point of the design, Douglas says the timber wrap sitting between the pool and the backyard also serves as a peaceful space in which to hang out.
The homeowners didn’t want a formal dining area, but did want a large open space that could seat 12 people for a meal.
Floor-to-ceiling windows by the kitchen/dining area look out onto the pool and spa. An operable window above the bar opens up the full extent of the bar to the pool and spa.
Dining chairs: Eames
Floor-to-ceiling windows by the kitchen/dining area look out onto the pool and spa. An operable window above the bar opens up the full extent of the bar to the pool and spa.
Dining chairs: Eames
One of the walnut treads of the staircase extends to form a bar for entertaining.
“The owners like to have people over and to entertain; the house was designed so that it felt equally comfortable with the family home alone or when they entertained,” Douglas says.
Full-height glazed doors slide into a pocket in the wall opening the living space onto the feature curved timber element.
The original portion of the house is clad with timber weatherboards, and the extended ground floor now features tongue-and-groove spotted gum cladding in random board widths – a modern timber version of the existing cladding.
The original portion of the house is clad with timber weatherboards, and the extended ground floor now features tongue-and-groove spotted gum cladding in random board widths – a modern timber version of the existing cladding.
BEFORE: The pool now runs along this side of the house.
The ground floor bathroom overlooks the pool and spa.
“Voids are used to connect the first floor with the active zones of the ground floor, reinforcing the human connectedness that drove the project initially,” Douglas says.
The original, pre-renovated home crammed in three bedrooms, a small kitchen, living and dining area and two bathrooms. The original part of the home still houses the master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in robe, but the remaining space is now used as a sitting room, study, large bathroom, storeroom and cellar.
Lighting: About Space
The original, pre-renovated home crammed in three bedrooms, a small kitchen, living and dining area and two bathrooms. The original part of the home still houses the master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in robe, but the remaining space is now used as a sitting room, study, large bathroom, storeroom and cellar.
Lighting: About Space
A simple box clad in titanium forms the first floor addition above the living/kitchen/dining area. It houses two bedrooms, a guest room with ensuite, a bathroom and a rumpus room to give the family room to move as the children grow up.
External louvres to upper floor windows protect privacy for and from neighbouring properties, but still provide a view to the outdoors.
Environmentally, the extension ticks all the right boxes. The addition pushes the house to the southern boundary to maximise access to the northern light; large operable glass panels allow for natural ventilation and vast areas of glass are offset with the use of hi-spec glass, awnings, louvred screens, deep eaves and verandahs.
Longevity, maintenance, embodied energy and waste are other measures of sustainability used, and materials were selected with these criteria in mind.
Environmentally, the extension ticks all the right boxes. The addition pushes the house to the southern boundary to maximise access to the northern light; large operable glass panels allow for natural ventilation and vast areas of glass are offset with the use of hi-spec glass, awnings, louvred screens, deep eaves and verandahs.
Longevity, maintenance, embodied energy and waste are other measures of sustainability used, and materials were selected with these criteria in mind.
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Who lives here: A couple and their young daughter and son
Location: Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria
Size: 223 square metres. 4 bedrooms plus study, 4 bathrooms and 3 living spaces