Room of the Day: Thinking Inside the Box
Architects find a simple solution for increasing the living space in their family home
Architects Mick and Jules Moloney purchased their house in southern Australia 10 years ago. It provided a good location for their architecture studio in front, and the backyard was sunny and private. The home was an ideal living space for their growing family, but increasing the footprint was always a priority. Finally, they decided all they needed was a simple wooden box added to the back of the house to contain a new kitchen, living and dining space. “A palette of unfussy materials and the connection to the backyard make the space really enjoyable and usable for the whole family,” Mick says.
When designing the addition, they followed the most fundamental principles of sustainable design — incorporating natural light, insulated glass, high insulation levels and natural cross-flow ventilation in the summer.
The architects gave themselves a simple goal: to create more room for their growing family in a space that feels relaxed and welcoming. “We started with the interior and considered how we wanted to sit, how we wanted to talk to friends while cooking, and how we wanted to incorporate a television but not have it dominate the space,” Jules says.
A walkway from the hallway to the back door divides the space without any visual or physical boundaries. The kitchen and dining area sit on one side of the passage, and a bookshelf, fireplace and living area with window seat are on the other. A dropped ceiling between the old and new areas of the house connects the spaces.
The kitchen is a relaxed and social space. Mick and Jules designed the island like a piece of furniture and kept it partially open underneath to enhance the sense of airiness in the room. They also integrated the cooktop into the island to encourage conversation between the cook and those sitting around the bench. “We love that you don’t have to turn your back on the space,” Mick says.
Kitchen cabinets: Moloney Architects
Kitchen cabinets: Moloney Architects
The building materials are inexpensive, raw, durable and low-fuss to cope with the inevitable knocks from the kids. In the kitchen, black formply is used for the drawer fronts, light fixtures and baseboards. The architects used hoop pine plywood and Tasmanian oak for the window frames and exposed beams. They also used blackbutt flooring and cedar paneling. “We like to use timber, as it actually captures atmospheric carbon, unlike aluminum and steel, which have much higher embodied energy,” Jules says.
An informal, open-plan layout keeps the family connected, whether they’re cooking, entertaining or enjoying a meal together. Furniture is simple and fuss-free, in keeping with the theme of relaxed living. “We love the intimacy of a round table,” Mick says.
Table 167 dining table and Chair 170 chairs by Takahashi Asako: Feelgood Designs; Paris Au Mois D’Aout pendant: Hub Furniture
Table 167 dining table and Chair 170 chairs by Takahashi Asako: Feelgood Designs; Paris Au Mois D’Aout pendant: Hub Furniture
There are a number of focal points in the living area, including the window seat, fireplace and television. However, by concealing the television when it’s not in use, they’ve allowed the fireplace to become the dominant feature.
Wilfred armchair: Jardan; coffee table: Stylecraft; fireplace: Morso
Wilfred armchair: Jardan; coffee table: Stylecraft; fireplace: Morso
“We used an oversize sliding panel on exposed rollers to cover the TV and clad it with mirror to increase the sense of space in the room,” Mick says.
Since the design is all about capturing light, this side of the addition has expansive windows and a window seat with storage underneath that is a much-loved place to sit and soak up the sun.
More
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More
What an Open-Plan Addition Can Do for Your Old House
Style Divide: How to Treat Additions to Old Homes?
Living Area at a Glance
Who lives here: Mick and Jules Moloney; their children, Peggy, Eleanor and Henry; and Reddy Spaghetti the dog
Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Size: 645 square feet (60 square meters)
Designer: Moloney Architects
Mick and Jules retained the integrity of the original 1920s clapboard home in the front of the house, while adding the 645-square-foot wooden box to the back. “The new structure is sympathetic in scale, but we weren’t too concerned with stylistic continuity,” Mick says. “Given that we are modern architects, we wanted to say, ‘Here is the old, and here is the new.’ The forms sit comfortably together, but each one is an expression of its own time.”