North Sydney
Brief
The dwelling, a heritage listed Victorian semi-detached terrace house, was largely un-modernised, with pokey and impractical living spaces. A number of the original features were in good condition but parts of the house were decrepit and in need of attention. The owners wanted to convert the dark, gloomy interior into a warm, light home with a mix of contemporary and traditional styling.
Solution
While the front half of the dwelling was retained to maintain the heritage detail of the interior, the rear was demolished to create a bright, airy and contemporary extension with a clear relationship to the sheer rock face defining the rear of the property and the refurbished back and side courtyards. The new kitchen incorporates bold splashes of colour and a sociable open plan meals area. Upstairs the main bedroom suite was relocated to the rear and extended into the side addition. Material, colour and texture are very important to this design. The existing face brick was retained and recycled to rebuild the rear of the terrace, whilst Terracade cladding was adopted as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional masonry unit to denote the extension.
