Inspiration for a country exterior in Gold Coast - Tweed.

Photo of a contemporary exterior in Sydney.

Contemporary exterior in Sydney.

Hood House is a playful protector that respects the heritage character of Carlton North whilst celebrating purposeful change. It is a luxurious yet compact and hyper-functional home defined by an exploration of contrast: it is ornamental and restrained, subdued and lively, stately and casual, compartmental and open. For us, it is also a project with an unusual history. This dual-natured renovation evolved through the ownership of two separate clients. Originally intended to accommodate the needs of a young family of four, we shifted gears at the eleventh hour and adapted a thoroughly resolved design solution to the needs of only two. From a young, nuclear family to a blended adult one, our design solution was put to a test of flexibility. The result is a subtle renovation almost invisible from the street yet dramatic in its expressive qualities. An oblique view from the northwest reveals the playful zigzag of the new roof, the rippling metal hood. This is a form-making exercise that connects old to new as well as establishing spatial drama in what might otherwise have been utilitarian rooms upstairs. A simple palette of Australian hardwood timbers and white surfaces are complimented by tactile splashes of brass and rich moments of colour that reveal themselves from behind closed doors. Our internal joke is that Hood House is like Lazarus, risen from the ashes. We’re grateful that almost six years of hard work have culminated in this beautiful, protective and playful house, and so pleased that Glenda and Alistair get to call it home.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary two-storey black house exterior in Geelong with a flat roof.

Contemporary Californian Bungalow.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary exterior in Melbourne.

Design ideas for a country three-storey brown house exterior in Buckinghamshire with wood siding and a grey roof.

Craftsman renovation and extension
This is an example of a mid-sized arts and crafts two-storey blue exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding, a clipped gable roof, a shingle roof, a grey roof and shingle siding.

Photo of a traditional two-storey brick red exterior in Essex.

Design ideas for a traditional exterior in London.

Seahorses is a stunning new home near Falmouth enjoying magnificent panoramic views of the south coast seascape. Sitting on the clifftops within an AONB, the house and gardens occupy a gently sloping site that connects with the adjacent South West Coastal Path. The context and terrain of the surrounding landscape informed the design and an imaginative and ambitious solution to site levels was crucial to the success of the scheme. As a result, the completed house is lower than the original, thus creating privacy for the occupants whilst still respecting neighbouring homes. The split-level, linear design is carefully organised around a spine wall of local granite that runs from the exterior of the building through the interior. This arrangement allows the living areas and bedrooms to connect with the landscape and integrate seamlessly with outdoor spaces. A mix of grasses, sedum and indigenous coastal plants on the green roof help to embed the building into its surroundings. The palette of natural materials creates a layered, permeable effect on the exterior, which will season with time and weather, thereby allowing it to assimilate into its coastal setting. Of equal importance was landscaping, which was integral to the design intent. With thoughtful positioning of the new dwelling, significant areas of mature and established planting were protected and retained. Photograph: Elliott White Photography

Design ideas for a large country two-storey exterior in Sussex with wood siding, a gable roof, a tile roof, a red roof and board and batten siding.

A south facing extension has been built to convert a derelict Grade II listed barn into a sustainable, contemporary and comfortable home that invites natural light into the living spaces with glass extension to barn. Glovers Barn was a derelict 15th Century Grade II listed barn on the ‘Historic Buildings at Risk’ register in need of a complete barn renovation to transform it from a dark, constrained dwelling to an open, inviting and functional abode. Stamos Yeoh Architects thoughtfully designed a rear south west glass extension to barn with 20mm minimal sightline slim framed sliding glass doors to maximise the natural light ingress into the home. The flush thresholds enable easy access between the kitchen and external living spaces connecting to the mature gardens.

The clients approached YARD with an ambitious brief that looked to combine a specific and pragmatic spatial arrangement within a dramatic architectural intervention. The initial design process explored numerous ways to achieve what they were looking for, with the ground floor space including a studio and shower room for Paul, an illustrator, along with generously sized living, kitchen and dining spaces. The solution resulted in a simple and uncompromising floor plan that defined the design from the outset. The kitchen is contained within one of the corbelled brick volumes, built around a large island unit where Jo wanted to be able to cook with her two boys and look out to the garden. A generous sliding picture window set deep within its reveal allows the kitchen to function as a servery to the outside, with a huge cast in-situ concrete cill emphasising the sculpted quality of the addition. The dining space is contained within the second brick volume, pushing further out into the garden to allow for direct south-easterly light to wash into the space, and sideways glimpses of the dramatic external brick detailing. The space includes a recess for piano practice, and minimal framed sliding doors to the outside. The two volumes are separated internally with a large rooflight, providing the initial statement upon passing from the traditional 1930’s styled front portion of the home into the contemporary additions at the back. The spatial axis from the hallway all the way into the garden is defined by this element, the alignment of which also enables light to penetrate deep into the plan for as long as possible before the sun moves to the front of the house in the middle of the day. The external aesthetic of the extension is purposefully weighty and sculpted. Constructed using water-struck Belgian brickwork, each design choice was finalised in close collaboration with Paul and Jo. The brown colour was combined with a colour matched mortar to create a weighty and homogenous appearance, whilst the recessed detail of the pointing allows the clear definition of each and every brick. There is not a brick slip or special anywhere to be found on the project, with the corbelled overhanging soffit to the kitchen volume constructed traditionally with mortar bed reinforcement. Nothing is faked.

Introducing Our Latest Masterpiece – The Hideaway Retreat - 7 Locke Crescent East Fremantle Open Times- see our website When it comes to seeing potential in a building project there are few specialists more adept at putting it all together than Andre and the team at Empire Building Company. We invite you to come on in and view just what attention to detail looks like. During a visit we can outline for you why we selected this block of land, our response to it from a design perspective and the completed outcome a double storey elegantly crafted residence focussing on the likely occupiers needs and lifestyle. In today’s market place the more flexible a home is in form and function the more desirable it will be to live in. This has the dual effect of enhancing lifestyle for its occupants and making the home desirable to a broad market at time of sale and in so doing preserving value. “From the street the home has a bold presence. Once you step inside, the interior has been designed to have a calming retreat feel to accommodate a modern family, executive or retiring couple or even a family considering having their ageing parents move in.” Andre Malecky A hallmark of this home, not uncommon when developing in a residential infill location is the clever integration of engineering solutions to the home’s construction. At Empire we revel in this type of construction and design challenged situations and we go to extraordinary lengths to get the solution that best fits budget, timeliness and living amenity. In this home our solution was to employ a two-level strategic geometric design with a specifically engineered cantilevered roof that provides essential amenity but serves to accentuate the façade. Whilst the best solution for this home was to demolish and build brand new, this is not always the case. At Empire we have extensive experience is working with clients in renovating their existing home and transforming it into their dream home. This home was strategically positioned to maximise available views, northern exposure and natural light into the residence. Energy Efficiency has been considered for the end user by introduction of double-glazed windows, Velux roof window, insulated roof panels, ceiling and wall insulation, solar panels and even comes with a 3Ph electric car charge point in the opulently tiled garage. Some of the latest user-friendly automation, electronics and appliances will also make the living experience very satisfying. We invite you to view our latest show home and to discuss with us your current living challenges and aspirations. Being a custom boutique builder, we assess your situation, the block, the current structure and look for ways to maximise the full potential of the location, topography and design brief.

This is an example of a country exterior in Rome.

Thomas Kayser
Inspiration for a small contemporary one-storey black exterior in Sydney with wood siding and a shed roof.

EXTERIOR. This Malvern cottage was built 10 years before we began work and lacked any character. It was our job to give the home some personality and on this occasion we felt the best solution would be achieved by taking the property back to a shell and re-designing the space. We introducing beams, altered window sizes, added new doors and moved walls. We also gave the house kerb appeal by altering the front and designing a new porch. Finally, the back garden was landscaped to provide a complete finish.

Teresa Cos
Inspiration for a mid-sized country exterior in Venice with wood siding and a gable roof.