Architecture
So You Live in a... Historical Brick Villa
With old-world charm at the front and modern extensions at the back, these brick villas are designed for today's lifestyle
Brick has been used in Australian architecture since the country’s earliest days. And while it may not be the most glamorous of building materials, it does give our historical houses and villas a sense of heritage, strength and solidity.
Brick really experienced its heyday from the mid-18th to mid-19th century due to being one of the cheapest building materials of the time. However, architects and builders used it not only because it was affordable and functional, but also because it was able to be used decoratively. Here are six historical brick villas, as well as some fabulous renovations that have provided for modern living without compromising on the homes’ historic charm.
Historic Brick Villas at a Glance
Defining period: c.1890 to c.1940
Forms: Victorian-era, Federation (Queen Anne, Arts & Crafts, Bungalow), Edwardian, California Bungalow
Brick really experienced its heyday from the mid-18th to mid-19th century due to being one of the cheapest building materials of the time. However, architects and builders used it not only because it was affordable and functional, but also because it was able to be used decoratively. Here are six historical brick villas, as well as some fabulous renovations that have provided for modern living without compromising on the homes’ historic charm.
Historic Brick Villas at a Glance
Defining period: c.1890 to c.1940
Forms: Victorian-era, Federation (Queen Anne, Arts & Crafts, Bungalow), Edwardian, California Bungalow
FEDERATION HOUSES (c.1890 to c.1915)
Built predominantly in brick, Federation-style houses symbolised Australian identity at the turn of the century, when the country was becoming a nation in its own right. Architects and builders looked to the prominent architectural styles in France, Britain and America and melded them together to create a uniquely Australian style – less formal than Victorian-era houses and better adapted to the country’s outdoor lifestyle and warmer climate.
Federation Queen Anne
The Queen Anne villa (such as the one pictured above) was the fanciest of all Federation-style houses. It featured an elaborate roof line, verandahs with timber posts and ornamental brackets, balustrades and valances, plus terracotta-embellished roofs. The brickwork was usually deep red or dark brown, or a combination of the two, with white-painted timberwork and window surrounds.
Built predominantly in brick, Federation-style houses symbolised Australian identity at the turn of the century, when the country was becoming a nation in its own right. Architects and builders looked to the prominent architectural styles in France, Britain and America and melded them together to create a uniquely Australian style – less formal than Victorian-era houses and better adapted to the country’s outdoor lifestyle and warmer climate.
Federation Queen Anne
The Queen Anne villa (such as the one pictured above) was the fanciest of all Federation-style houses. It featured an elaborate roof line, verandahs with timber posts and ornamental brackets, balustrades and valances, plus terracotta-embellished roofs. The brickwork was usually deep red or dark brown, or a combination of the two, with white-painted timberwork and window surrounds.
Federation Arts & Crafts
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, proponents of the Arts & Crafts Movement undertook to reform design and architecture in hopes of making the world a better place. They believed architecture and decorative arts should be both beautiful and functional, and they revived traditional handicrafts and native production techniques to improve the design of architecture and ordinary domestic objects.
In Australia, Arts & Crafts houses were unpretentious and homelike. Architects used natural materials in earthy colours – including brick in deep red – and paid great attention to the craftsmanship of the house. The roofline remained a dominant feature while the massing and fenestration of the house was solid and stable, uniting it with the earth on which it stood.
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, proponents of the Arts & Crafts Movement undertook to reform design and architecture in hopes of making the world a better place. They believed architecture and decorative arts should be both beautiful and functional, and they revived traditional handicrafts and native production techniques to improve the design of architecture and ordinary domestic objects.
In Australia, Arts & Crafts houses were unpretentious and homelike. Architects used natural materials in earthy colours – including brick in deep red – and paid great attention to the craftsmanship of the house. The roofline remained a dominant feature while the massing and fenestration of the house was solid and stable, uniting it with the earth on which it stood.
Federation Bungalow
The Federation Bungalow was a single-storey house with a prominent verandah. Deep red and deep brown bricks walls – and often a combination of the two – were common to Federation Bungalows and provided a subtle backdrop to decorative timberwork that often celebrated Australia’s federation with sunrise motifs to signify the dawning of the new century.
The Federation Bungalow was a single-storey house with a prominent verandah. Deep red and deep brown bricks walls – and often a combination of the two – were common to Federation Bungalows and provided a subtle backdrop to decorative timberwork that often celebrated Australia’s federation with sunrise motifs to signify the dawning of the new century.
EDWARDIAN (c.1901 to c.1915)
The Edwardian style is classified by the reign of King Edward the 7th and is similar in character to the Federation Bungalow. Externally, Edwardian-style villas often exhibit red brickwork with flush joints, and cream bands in brick or painted render (in the above case, lighter-coloured brick arching) over the windows. From the street, Edwardian-style houses can also be characterised by steeply sloped hip roofs as well as front facing gables.
The Edwardian style is classified by the reign of King Edward the 7th and is similar in character to the Federation Bungalow. Externally, Edwardian-style villas often exhibit red brickwork with flush joints, and cream bands in brick or painted render (in the above case, lighter-coloured brick arching) over the windows. From the street, Edwardian-style houses can also be characterised by steeply sloped hip roofs as well as front facing gables.
CALIFORNIA BUNGALOW (c.1915 to c.1940)
The California Bungalow made its mark on Australian soil as a new style of architecture designed for a more informal and modern lifestyle. It underwent regional adaptations that reflected not only its arrival in Australia but also the area in which it emerged: local red brick in Melbourne, local liver-coloured brick in Sydney and limestone in South Australia. Additionally, in many cases decorative or attractive brickwork was used usually only on the face, which changed to more common (and, therefore, cheaper) brickwork down the sides of the house.
The California Bungalow made its mark on Australian soil as a new style of architecture designed for a more informal and modern lifestyle. It underwent regional adaptations that reflected not only its arrival in Australia but also the area in which it emerged: local red brick in Melbourne, local liver-coloured brick in Sydney and limestone in South Australia. Additionally, in many cases decorative or attractive brickwork was used usually only on the face, which changed to more common (and, therefore, cheaper) brickwork down the sides of the house.
RENOVATING A HISTORIC VILLA
While the front of your brick villa may reflect its history, it doesn’t mean the rear of your house needs to stay of the era in which it was built. Here are four inspirational examples of how you can maintain your villa’s street appeal and heritage while creating a modern addition or extension that draws on the characteristic features of your house.
1. Carry through the roof line
In this traditional Edwardian brick home, an addition has been created to enlarge and expand the internal living spaces into the courtyard for seamless indoor-outdoor living. For consistency across the house, the angular roofline is mimicked in the new addition, and the gable modernised with opaque glass.
While the front of your brick villa may reflect its history, it doesn’t mean the rear of your house needs to stay of the era in which it was built. Here are four inspirational examples of how you can maintain your villa’s street appeal and heritage while creating a modern addition or extension that draws on the characteristic features of your house.
1. Carry through the roof line
In this traditional Edwardian brick home, an addition has been created to enlarge and expand the internal living spaces into the courtyard for seamless indoor-outdoor living. For consistency across the house, the angular roofline is mimicked in the new addition, and the gable modernised with opaque glass.
2. Carry through timberwork and colour
The owners wanted to create an Australian version of an English garden room at the rear of this existing Federation Bungalow and replaced a small laundry with this new elegant space. With wraparound glass, multiple doors and a high-raked ceiling, living space flows between indoors and out. Timberwork and colour unite the front and rear of this house, both being used as attractive visual accents.
The owners wanted to create an Australian version of an English garden room at the rear of this existing Federation Bungalow and replaced a small laundry with this new elegant space. With wraparound glass, multiple doors and a high-raked ceiling, living space flows between indoors and out. Timberwork and colour unite the front and rear of this house, both being used as attractive visual accents.
3. Employ craftsmanship for connectivity
This asymmetrical pavilion provides shelter and shade over an outdoor dining/eating/entertaining area at the rear of a Federation Arts & Crafts house. Skylights filter light from above, an opening on one side of the pavilion allows ventilation, and wooden beams connect the extension to the home’s Arts & Crafts heritage.
This asymmetrical pavilion provides shelter and shade over an outdoor dining/eating/entertaining area at the rear of a Federation Arts & Crafts house. Skylights filter light from above, an opening on one side of the pavilion allows ventilation, and wooden beams connect the extension to the home’s Arts & Crafts heritage.
4. Blur the lines between old and new
This modern second-storey addition – designed to achieve an abundance of natural light and a feeling of spaciousness – can’t be seen from the front, so you would never know it is actually a historic Edwardian dwelling. However, characteristic features such as the fireplaces, light fittings, and architraves have remained as original interior details. In maintaining a sense of harmony between the new and the old, the ceiling height of the new structure is consistent with the original house so that the two spaces complement each other well. Also, an exposed brick wall – the length of the open-plan living area – merges the old and new and provides warmth, texture and a nod to the home’s history.
MORE
Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
Aussie Rules: 10 Key Australian Looks We Know and Love
So You Live in a …California Bungalow
This modern second-storey addition – designed to achieve an abundance of natural light and a feeling of spaciousness – can’t be seen from the front, so you would never know it is actually a historic Edwardian dwelling. However, characteristic features such as the fireplaces, light fittings, and architraves have remained as original interior details. In maintaining a sense of harmony between the new and the old, the ceiling height of the new structure is consistent with the original house so that the two spaces complement each other well. Also, an exposed brick wall – the length of the open-plan living area – merges the old and new and provides warmth, texture and a nod to the home’s history.
MORE
Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
Aussie Rules: 10 Key Australian Looks We Know and Love
So You Live in a …California Bungalow
Named for the reign of Queen Victoria, architects of Australia’s Victorian-era villas frequently used brick as local production of building materials increased with mechanisation. Then, as the country’s population grew, a middle class emerged and wealth escalated, and with it a more ornate domestic architecture developed. Thus, fashionable brick houses and villas of the period displayed a greater level of ornamentation, such as this villa pictured, which combines multicoloured brickwork with decorative wrought-iron lacework and patterned tiles around the verandah.