Room Of The Week
Architecture
Popular Houzz Series
Popular Houzz Series
Appears in
See also
Fun HouzzFrom The ProsHouzz Around The WorldProject Of The WeekStickybeak Of The WeekQuizzesCreatives At HomeAt Home With...Best Of The WeekRoom Of The WeekDesigner Profiles3 Things I Wish My Clients KnewHow Do I...Buyer's GuidesExpert EyeInnovation AlertSo Your Style Is...Spotted!Picture PerfectBefore & AfterBudget BreakdownHome TimeMade Local
Room of the Week: How a 10m-Long Skylight Led a Kitchen Redesign
A dark cottage that was a candidate for demolition was instead reworked into a sustainable and light-filled space
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Brief
An open-plan living area that would overcome the orientation and site challenges in terms of bringing in the most light to the interior, while opening up connecting views to the rear and side yard.
An open-plan living area that would overcome the orientation and site challenges in terms of bringing in the most light to the interior, while opening up connecting views to the rear and side yard.
Starting point
Demolishing the cottage entirely would have yielded the greatest development potential due to a different set of applicable planning requirements.
But this option seemed at odds with sustainability policies, so the preference was to opt for adaptive re-use of the period cottage. By doing this, we preserved remaining remnants of the heritage streetscape, and harnessed and celebrated the gradual atrophy inherent in the textures of the materials, such as the newly exposed external brick.
Thinking of a rear extension or addition? Find an architect near you who knows what’s possible with your local council
Demolishing the cottage entirely would have yielded the greatest development potential due to a different set of applicable planning requirements.
But this option seemed at odds with sustainability policies, so the preference was to opt for adaptive re-use of the period cottage. By doing this, we preserved remaining remnants of the heritage streetscape, and harnessed and celebrated the gradual atrophy inherent in the textures of the materials, such as the newly exposed external brick.
Thinking of a rear extension or addition? Find an architect near you who knows what’s possible with your local council
Steel beams replace the original rear and side walls to open up an expansive column-free space, while providing a robust memory of the cottage’s history.
Key design aspects
Colour palette:
Colour palette:
- A simple monochromatic base with warm timber features (a ‘warm minimalism’ or Japandi aesthetic).
- Accoya timber door and window frames.
- Timber veneer.
- Black-painted kitchen and metalwork.
- Timber floors.
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- 10-metre long skylight by Clearview Glass Group.
- Doors and windows by Acacia Joinery.
Thinking behind the arrangement of furniture/fixtures
Utilitarian wet areas form a pod within the darkest location of the plan (pictured to the left in this image), with the feature skylight and an internal window sharing light between the rooms.
The linear kitchen and island bench relate to the alignment of the skylight, which complements the extruded roof form and maximises the functionality and joy of the space.
Browse more beautiful kitchens with timber by Australian designers
Utilitarian wet areas form a pod within the darkest location of the plan (pictured to the left in this image), with the feature skylight and an internal window sharing light between the rooms.
The linear kitchen and island bench relate to the alignment of the skylight, which complements the extruded roof form and maximises the functionality and joy of the space.
Browse more beautiful kitchens with timber by Australian designers
What challenges did you work around?
During the course of the design, a new knock-down rebuild of a two-storey house was approved on the north-eastern boundary, which was going to reduce the amount of daylight available to the original living and dining room sash windows.
Raising the height of the roof that contained the feature skylight helped to capture the sun, particularly in winter, and reflect this back into the interior, while providing sky views.
The volume and height of the new side extension also helped make the room feel bigger, without needing to extend the building footprint unnecessarily.
During the course of the design, a new knock-down rebuild of a two-storey house was approved on the north-eastern boundary, which was going to reduce the amount of daylight available to the original living and dining room sash windows.
Raising the height of the roof that contained the feature skylight helped to capture the sun, particularly in winter, and reflect this back into the interior, while providing sky views.
The volume and height of the new side extension also helped make the room feel bigger, without needing to extend the building footprint unnecessarily.
Why do you think this room works?
The room has been transformed into a breezy light-filled interior with views connecting the rear yard. The client enjoys being in the space as it feels calming and more at one with its natural surroundings.
At the same time, the renovation encompassed the sustainable retention of the original cottage and its adaptive re-use. It is a modest renovation that has managed to make the most difference to the experience of living in the house, while resisting the temptation to demolish the period character that could have unlocked further development potential on a constrained block.
The room has been transformed into a breezy light-filled interior with views connecting the rear yard. The client enjoys being in the space as it feels calming and more at one with its natural surroundings.
At the same time, the renovation encompassed the sustainable retention of the original cottage and its adaptive re-use. It is a modest renovation that has managed to make the most difference to the experience of living in the house, while resisting the temptation to demolish the period character that could have unlocked further development potential on a constrained block.
Your turn
What do you love about this space and the thinking behind it? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Catch your next great transformation here with A Stunning Interior on a $25k Budget? See How a Designer Did It
What do you love about this space and the thinking behind it? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Catch your next great transformation here with A Stunning Interior on a $25k Budget? See How a Designer Did It
Sponsored
Who lives here: A family with one of their two adult children
Location: St Peters, NSW
Room purpose and size: A 60- square-metre kitchen, dining, and living area, plus a bathroom measuring 5.5 square metres
Architect: Amanda Byrne, architect and director, Panda Studio Architecture
Kitchen designer: Rose Sorkeh, Evogue Group
Approximate budget: AU$320,000
Kitchen design: Evogue Group