A dramatic timber ceiling unfolds out from a capacious living zone to shade the northern facade of this family home.
The facade is angled to take in the best garden views and solar aspect.
The house is designed to endure as the family grows.
It utilises tough materials like Australian hardwood and the structural concrete floor slab is exposed.
Adjacent the main living area is a screened-off playroom, and beyond this are four bedrooms and plenty of utility space.
The original house is an unassuming brick veneer, one of many in a street of post-war homes of the type made famous by Australian artist Howard Arkley.
To maintain the suburban landscape, the front of the house has been kept intact and is entered via the original corbelled brick porch.
Moving down a corridor which services the bedrooms, bathrooms and utility area, one approaches the new addition at the back of the house which opens up with a shift in scale, views and natural light.
The new addition embraces the midcentury aesthetic and postwar improvements in convenience and live-ability.
But these ideals are seen from a contemporary perspective and adapted to suit a busy professional couple with a large family.
The new living spaces are zoned but interconnected.
The kitchen has views to the living and dining areas and is highly connected to the garden, with a servery as well as window splash-backs.
A large sliding door is employed in the playroom so that the degree of family togetherness can be calibrated.
True to the midcentury palette, the character of the materials is expressed, resulting in a pleasing clash of hardwood, ground concrete, dark joinery and garden views.
The spatial arrangement is housed within a chamfered and faceted envelope, using minimal ornamentation to achieve uncluttered spaces, sleek lines and clear geometric forms.
Key Products Used
Vic Ash shiplap ceiling and wall lining
Colorbond roofing
Exposed structural concrete floor slab
FC sheet cladding
Project Details
Project size – 195 m2
Site area – 654 m2
Completion date – 2019
Building levels – 1
Project Team
Architecture
Julie Firkin Architects
Julie Firkin Architects was established in 2009 and specializes in designing aspirational, carefully crafted and commodious homes. Our projects can transform older dwellings, unlock the potential of constrained, inner-city or suburban sites, or embrace the natural beauty of regional and rural areas. We incorporate passive solar design principles to ensure that our designs are thermally efficient, light and comfortable.
Julie has been involved in the design and delivery of a variety of projects both in Australia and internationally, including large mixed-use projects in Melbourne and bespoke projects in Europe and the USA. Julie holds a Master in Architecture degree from Harvard University and regularly leads design studios at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and RMIT.
Photography
Peter Bennetts
Peter’s work regularly features in the Australian publications Architecture Australia, Artichoke, Belle, Inside, AR, Monument, inside and Vogue.
He is a frequent contributor to Wallpaper*, Frame, Mark, Dwell, Domus, Casabella and other international publications too.
His photography has appeared in numerous books including four monographs and the two volumes of the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture.
Peter’s architectural images have been described as having “a remarkable crystalline stillness” and he is known for his “straight-shooting” style of architectural photography, focusing on the formal, material and atmospheric qualities of a project.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Julie Firkin Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Peter Bennetts. All Rights Reserved.
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