Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Tetris-Inspired Terrace Wows on a Narrow Site
This sophisticated rebuild in Sydney's east delivered on the family's sizeable wish list, despite its narrow proportions
An ugly duckling squeezed in between two Victorian terrace houses in Sydney’s Woollahra needed a serious overhaul to accommodate the needs and tastes of a film director and his young family.
Terrace houses aren’t known for their wide frontages but these creative homeowners had their hearts set on a family dwelling with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a guest flat, garage, and an open-plan living, dining and kitchen suite. But that’s not all. They also wanted a study/man cave, dressing room, laundry, balcony, lightwells and two outdoor living rooms. To achieve this, and with strict council rules an additional hurdle, Luigi Rosselli Architects had to come up with some innovative, space-efficient solutions. The end design was inspired by architect Adolf Loos’ concept of ‘Raumplan’, whereby rooms interlock – Tetris-style – over split levels.
Terrace houses aren’t known for their wide frontages but these creative homeowners had their hearts set on a family dwelling with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a guest flat, garage, and an open-plan living, dining and kitchen suite. But that’s not all. They also wanted a study/man cave, dressing room, laundry, balcony, lightwells and two outdoor living rooms. To achieve this, and with strict council rules an additional hurdle, Luigi Rosselli Architects had to come up with some innovative, space-efficient solutions. The end design was inspired by architect Adolf Loos’ concept of ‘Raumplan’, whereby rooms interlock – Tetris-style – over split levels.
A balconette overlooks the street, creating what architect Luigi Rosselli calls a visual conversation with the passers-by.
Decorative routed-steel plates feature on the front gate and balcony. Steel is a modern take on the cast-iron lacework seen in many Victorian terraces – and Rosselli chose the fish scale pattern as a link between the Victorian era and this 21st-century update.
This was the front of the home before work began.
The split-level design maximises space in the home and suits the sloping site.
Rosselli says the Carrara marble used for the splashback and benchtop is an everyday reminder of the melting pack ice at the Earth’s poles, which sounds a little far-fetched until you really look at it – and the benchtop has a shark-nose edge.
The fish scales seen on the front gate and balcony reappear on the balustrade and the brass matches the kitchen tapware and hardware.
Polished brass Vola 590H-19 mixer and spout: Sydney Tap and Bathroomware
Polished brass Vola 590H-19 mixer and spout: Sydney Tap and Bathroomware
The kitchen separates the dining area at one end and the living room at the other. Courtyards at either end provide the opportunities for outdoor living the family wanted.
Slotting in a powder room under the stairs was another space-saving move, with the arched doorway and curved ceiling adding architectural flair.
Behind the stairs a little further along is the dining area. A banquette makes smart use of the available space, and its sculptural form and petrol blue colour adds to the home’s sophisticated feel.
Parachilna Aballs pendant lights in gold: Tangent Lights
Parachilna Aballs pendant lights in gold: Tangent Lights
On the other side of the kitchen is the living room. The lightwell brings in the morning sun, which brightens up the adjoining kitchen.
The concrete seat in the garden continues inside at the same level, morphing into a slim audio-visual unit that doesn’t take up too much space.
The living area opens to a courtyard linking the main house with a studio/garage at the back.
“The finished home fits the owners’ creative and laid-back personalities perfectly, giving them indoor and outdoor spaces for casual entertaining and spending time as a family, a place at the end of the garden for quiet study, and accommodation for friends and family,” Rosselli says.
“The finished home fits the owners’ creative and laid-back personalities perfectly, giving them indoor and outdoor spaces for casual entertaining and spending time as a family, a place at the end of the garden for quiet study, and accommodation for friends and family,” Rosselli says.
An old garage used to sit on the opposite side of the courtyard. An attic studio sits on top of the new garage, which is big enough for one car and plenty of storage.
The study space over the garage was designed to be a modern man cave.
The view from the internal courtyard to the rear façade. There are those fish scales again!
Upstairs in one of the first-floor bedrooms, the tall French doors open inwards.
The first floor is home to two bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry and study.
Upstairs again is the master bedroom, dressing room and ensuite.
In the master bedroom, the windows follow the line of cabinetry beneath and offer wonderful leafy views. Shutters and deep eaves control the sun.
The shower in the master ensuite has a skylight overhead. The colour and materials palette echoes that chosen for the rest of the house.
Positioning the mirrors over the window allows the light to stream in and offers the opportunity for another surprising design move – this house is full of them. The vanity is made of solid American oak with brass Hafele handles – in harmony with the tapware and handles that feature throughout the home.
This was the rear of the house before the redesign.
“The clients hoped for a comfortable home that would make the most of their comparatively small site and a design that had the flexibility to allow them to alter the usage of certain areas of the house as their needs change,” says Rosselli.
Who lives here: A film director and his wife and two young children
Size: 202 square metres
Location: Woollahra, Sydney, NSW
Architect: Luigi Rosselli Architects
Builder: Building With Options
The redesigned home sits in a row of Victorian terrace houses. The existing 1950s house was all but demolished to make way for the new home, a tall and narrow house that’s a storey taller than its predecessor.