Houses Australia - October 2021

Australian Residential Architecture and Design
SMALL BUT
MIGHTY
Inventive homes with
minimal footprints
ISSUE 142
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Image by Aspect Photographics
At a Glance
From the Editor 12

Musings
Contributors 14
Fresh finds 16
Products
Bookshelf 52
Reading
A list of must-reads on materiality,
interiors and architecture.
46 50 82
A splash of colour 76 Working with an Architect One to Watch Studio
Products Vivarium Architect George Nikolai Kotlarczyk
Colourful furniture and additions
that add a little extra to a space The owners of this renovated This young Sydney studio Simple yet decorative, the
or completely transform a room. Melbourne home share how is founded on a love of work of this Australian designer
trust in the design process can collaboration and a search distils narrative ideas into
Endangered and extinct 130 lead to a beautiful outcome. for joy in the design process. striking geometric forms.
Postscript
A ceramics exhibition poses
questions about the fragility
of the built environment.
105 113 122

Spotlight In Profile Revisited
Call of the wild Polly Harbison Design Beddison Swift House by
Neil Clerehan and Guilford Bell
Nestled into the landscape, Across a portfolio of singular, Designed in 1963, this
this collection of architect- sculptural houses, this Sydney unassuming pair of homes in
designed camping shelters architect’s work is beautiful, Melbourne remains well-suited
taps into our escapist desires. refined and devoid of trickery. to multigenerational living.
HOUSES 142 AT A GLANCE 09

This collection
of homes
demonstrates the
transformative
impact of small
additions on
domestic spaces,
24 32 40
creating homes Long Road House Marrickville Half House Vivarium
by James Russell Architect by Aileen Sage Architects by Architecture Architecture
that are by turns
calming and New House
Mt Tamborine, Qld
Alteration + Addition
Sydney, NSW
Alteration + Addition
Melbourne, Vic
playful.
54 62 68
Milkbar House Riley’s Terrace 3 House
by Kennedy Nolan by Adele McNab Architects by Channon Architects
and Burton Architects
Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition

Melbourne, Vic Sydney, NSW Brisbane, Qld
84 90 98
Toowong Renovation Northcote Terrace Arthur Circus
by Kin Architects by Lovell Burton Architecture by Circa Morris-Nunn Chua
Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition

Brisbane, Qld Melbourne, Vic Hobart, Tas
10 CONTENTS
Musings
01
There’s no denying that small spaces 01 How might residential design

have big appeal. The limitations of modest change in response to the
scales and budgets often give rise to isolation caused by COVID-19?
inventive design outcomes, and, in This November, a Brisbane
exhibition will prompt us to
residential architecture, this smallness
consider the design of our living
evokes an intimacy and humbleness that
environments in a post-pandemic
is particularly well-suited to the everyday world. COVID Retrospect, curated
patterns of domestic life. by the Architecture Et cetera
The homes in this issue recast the Lab, will showcase speculative
constraints of small scales and budgets, concepts by Australian architects
confidently striking a balance between that suggest new potentials
economy and exuberance. At Riley’s Terrace for residential architecture in
(page 62), Adele McNab Architects finds the absence of civic life. Opens
spatial richness in small dimensions at Brickworks Brisbane Design
Studio on 12 November. Image:
in the redesign of a Sydney terrace; in Arthur
Reed House by Beth George.
Circus (page 98), Circa Morris-Nunn Chua
Photograph by Ben Hosking.
crafts a quietly composed addition to a
aeclab.com.au 03
diminutive cottage in a heritage precinct
of Hobart; and in Northcote Terrace (cover
02 Go behind the scenes of 03 What can contemporary
and page 90), Lovell Burton Architecture
Sydney’s best architecture. design learn from the 1970s?
responds to a narrow site with a precisely
Sydney Open 2021 presents a jam- As part of the Design Canberra
detailed design that opens up to the sky. packed program of tours, talks festival, the Design Revisited
Across a range of different responses and more, showcasing the best series will celebrate the
to site and brief, the houses in this issue of Sydney’s architecture, interior visionary design that emerged
convey an important message about the design and landscapes. From in the nation’s capital during the
environmental consequences of building big. 6 to 7 November, the festival will 1970s, including architecture
These thoughtful designs often work with celebrate a re-opened city with by Enrico Taglietti, Harry Seidler,
existing built fabric and ensure that the exclusive access to buildings and Roger Pegrum and others.
homeowners can live both comfortably and spaces that are usually off-limits to The program considers how
the public. Image: Registrar experimental ideas from the
conscientiously, within a small physical and
General’s Building, image courtesy era might inform contemporary
environmental footprint.
of Sydney Living Museums. design. Design Canberra runs
Alexa Kempton, editor slm.is/open from 8 to 28 November.
Image: Paterson House
by Enrico Taglietti, 1970.
Photograph by 5 Foot Photography.
Write to us at designcanberrafestival.com.au
houses@archmedia.com.au
Subscribe at
architecturemedia.com
Find us
@housesmagazine
02
12 MUSINGS
Brushed gold
Naturally inspiring.
Purity of design and craftsmanship
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Contributors
Editor CEO/Publisher
Alexa Kempton Jacinta Reedy
Company secretary
Editorial enquiries Ian Close
Alexa Kempton General manager
T: +61 3 8699 1000 operations
houses@archmedia.com.au Jane Wheeler
Editorial director
Katelin Butler
Editorial team
Georgia Birks Published by
Dr Silvia Micheli Matt Sansom Nicci Dodanwela Architecture Media Pty Ltd
Writer Photographer Cassie Hansen ACN 008 626 686
Josh Harris Level 6, 163 Eastern Road
Dr Silvia Micheli is a Matt Sansom is an South Melbourne
designer and senior architectural photographer Production Vic 3205 Australia
lecturer at The University based in Hobart. His Goran Rupena T: +61 3 8699 1000
of Queensland, where experience in photo- Design F: +61 3 9696 2617
she teaches architectural graphing remote Tasmanian Metrik publisher@archmedia.com.au
and urban design. landscapes coupled with studiometrik.com architecturemedia.com
working as a registered
architect give him an General manager sales Endorsed by
insightful and patient Michael Pollard The Australian Institute of
approach to the nuances of Account manager Architects and the Design
architectural photography. Tash Fisher Institute of Australia.
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Casey Bryant Genevieve Lilley and International:
Writer Writer Eight Point Distribution ISSN 1440-3382
Casey Bryant is a Genevieve Lilley is

director of Trias, a young an architect practising
architecture studio based in Tasmania and New
in Sydney with a focus on South Wales. She also
thoughtful and thorough designs modern jewellery,
residential projects that and sits on the Tasmanian
celebrate less but better. Heritage Council.
Copyright: HOUSES® is
a registered trademark of
Architecture Media Pty Ltd.
Cover: Northcote Terrace by All designs and plans in this
Lovell Burton Architecture. publication are copyright and
Artwork: Kristin Headlam. are the property of the architects
Photograph: Rory Gardiner. and designers concerned.
14 CONTRIBUTORS
A collaboration with one of Australia’s most innovative interior design studios.
Enveloped in layers of warm, rich colour and authentic woodgrain texture from the Laminex® Colour Collection,
this beautiful kitchen by YSG Studio creates a seamless sense of flow into adjoining living areas.
Immerse yourself at laminex.com.au

Fresh Refined craftsmanship and a boldness
of form define these new products,
03
Finds from a light and whimsical bird feeder

to a very serious geometric daybed.
Find more residential products:

selector.com and productnews.com.au
01
02 04
01 Scandal table lamp 02 Sequence dining table 03 Apiales chandelier 04 Anton pendants
This freestanding table lamp Coco Flip has added two new From Danish designer Sofie Volker Haug has added a number
by Melbourne studio Articolo dining tables to its Sequence Refer, Nuura’s Apiales 9 chandelier of new pieces to its Anton
echoes the slender proportions range: Sequence Round and takes inspiration from umbellifer series of round pendant lamps.
and elegant detailing of the Sequence Oval. Chunky, cylindrical flowers, known for their umbrella- The Blown Glass Anton, Anton
Scandal pendant and wall sconce. legs curve gently at the base and like form. Opal white mouth-blown Ceramic Pinstripe and Anton
Reminiscent of a classic banker’s are paired with a slender, stream- glass globes are supported Ceramic Colour (pictured) are
lamp, the dual-rod lamp combines lined steel top. Made in Melbourne by chandelier arms in brushed formed through classic processes
fine mouth-blown glass with from mild steel, the tables are brass or satin black that unfold of melting, pouring, tinting and
Scandal’s signature barrel-like available in several colours like flower stalks. Apiales spreads glazing that capture the integrity
cuff in a refined composition. with a durable textured finish. light with grace and sensuality. and purity of each material.
articololighting.com cocoflip.com.au greatdanefurniture.com volkerhaug.com
16 PRODUCTS
07
05
06 08
05 Geometric daybed 06 Special Shapes series 07 Super hardware collection 08 Stellar Grape pendant
Bassam Fellows’ Geometric The Special Shapes series is Inspired by the Italian Radical Designed by Sebastian Herkner
daybed is a celebration of the pure a sculptural take on the classic Design Movement of the 1960s for Pulpo, the Stellar Grape
geometry associated with the La Paloma brick. The artisan and ’70s, the Super collection pendant features half frosted
Wiener Werkstätte and Bauhaus Spanish brick collection includes brings a playfulness to the design acetate, half-ribbed glass spheres
design schools. Cold-rolled tubular three distinctive designs: Curved, of doorknobs, door levers and combined in a bunch form that
steel acts as a stately scaffold, Tash and Comb. Each brick is pulls. Designed by Melbourne acts as a hazy focal point in the
supporting the walnut deck and available in one of two colours architecture studio Sans-Arc for home. A discreet black steel fixing
continuing into an arc form to hold inspired by sun-drenches facades: Bankstown, the collection includes supports the mouth-blown glass
the tufted leather cushions with Azul, a charcoal with blue under- five unique pieces that balance pieces, available in aubergine,
their cross-angle seams. tones, and Miro, a warm off-white. function with exaggerated form. smoky grey or clear glass.
livingedge.com.au brickworks.com.au bankstonarchitectural.com.au domo.com.au
HOUSES 142 FRESH FINDS 17

10
09
11 12
09 Peanut lamp 10 Breeze table collection 11 Maxi sliding panel 12 Pidät Bird Silo
Originally released in 1946, Lyfa’s Inspired by Australia’s rich Maxi is the new sliding panel Designed by Helsinki-based
Peanut lamp was designer Bent and varied landscapes, the new system from designer Giuseppe bird enthusiasts Mika and
Karlby’s response to the prolifer- additions to Ross Gardam’s Breeze Bavuso. Designed for wide Julie Tolvanen as a “functional
ation of harsh and cold fluorescent collection feature earthy tones and spaces, the partition system can sculpture,” the Pidät Bird Silo
lighting. The curvy Peanut, crafted reflective finishes. Options include create a sense of separation while works like a grain silo: simply
from opal glass and brass, was smoky black and bronze mirror retaining a level of transparency, lift the top cone, pour in
designed to emit soft and pleasant and Australian emperador marble. thus creating fluid spaces where sunflower seeds or peanuts,
light. The classic mid-century Souced from a Queensland quarry, light dominates. Refined glass and the feeder fills from the
lamp has been relaunched and the marble is a black colour with surfaces are framed by an bottom up. The feeder is made
is available through Fred. rich red and white veins. irregular aluminium grid pattern. from 100 percent recycled plastic.
fredinternational.com.au rossgardam.com.au rimadesio.com robertplumb.com.au
18 PRODUCTS
TEC7's X-Tack gives you the cleanest and fastest installation method
for your next project. With no mechanical fixings,
the natural warmth and appearance of is preserved.
iHoop is a pre-finished plywood feature panel
for internal walls and ceilings. Made with Queensland
hoop pine, iHoop is factory finished with a clear coating
designed to enhance appearance and reduce installation costs.
LONG ROAD
HOUSE
BY
JAMES
RUSSELL
AR C H I T ECT
24
01
HOUSES 142 25
02
03
26 LONG ROAD HOUSE

A new residence near Tamborine
Mountain reinterprets the migrant
farm house as a large screened
verandah, anchoring a determined
experience of rural life.
Words by Andrew Leach

Photography by Toby Scott
Long Road House, a new residence designed by James The house itself works with the site’s
Russell Architect, makes a clear and compelling case topography. A single-level wing is raised on a slab and
for how to live well in the countryside of South-East contains the interior kitchen, main bedroom and living
Queensland. The three-bedroom house, together with areas, which open to the north along the long edge
a utility shed and a shipping container converted into of this simple volume. Large glazed panels slide out
a small sleep-out, occupies the south-west corner of of sight as needs dictate. At its eastern end the house
a seven-acre lifestyle block. Located just a short drive hugs the ground, while to the west a shorter, shallower
from the bustling Mount Tamborine village – itself an two-level wing runs up against it on a north–south
01 A gabled roof form,
hour, give or take, from Brisbane and the owners’ main axis. This second wing also connects to the ground,
prominent chimney
home – the house has been carefully designed in order but in a more complex arrangement. Perpendicular and corrugated
to keep at bay the peri-urban hinterland development to the main living area is another: a large open-air steel cladding
with which the property is surrounded. barbecue kitchen and dining platform, connected to recall the area’s
Indeed, the house anchors a determined the main living wing by a slim timber walkway and agricultural heritage.
experience of rural life. A copse of trees and a winding steps, that gives the sense of sitting on a platform
driveway block a direct view from the house to the among the well-established trees that still flourish 02 The house is
road that connects to the village. The rolling landscape, alongside the creek. A slender stairway runs down planned as two
left intact, slopes down the site gently before dropping to the lower level, where a semi-enclosed corridor wings that open onto
a courtyard wrapped
markedly along the property’s western edge, which running along the edge of the house provides access
in a mesh curtain.
is defined by Cedar Creek and the strip of dense bush to two bedrooms, a bathroom and a bath house.
that follows its path and renders mute the nearby high Shutters in the bath house offer the tempt- 03 Corridors trace
school. More foliage shields the house from the smaller ation to commune in private with nature from the tub the outer edges,
properties that sit to the north-east, while an unfenes- or shower. Embedded in the hillside, the bedrooms evoking a sense of the
trated facade of corrugated iron helps to focus every- draw in light from the courtyard above through shallow house as a protected
body’s attention away from the southern boundary. clerestory windows. outdoor space.
HOUSES 142 NEW HOUSE 27

Long Road
House is built
on the land of the
2 3 3
Wangerriburra Mount Tamborine, New Couple + 1 powder Site 28,370 m² Design 9 m
people. Qld House room Floor 190 m² Build 10 m
These two wings, capped with elegant gable Products

roofs – their black steel structure exposed to their Roofing: Lysaght Custom
respective interiors – define two edges of a generous Orb in ‘Zincalume’
open courtyard, which is finished in gravel and boasts External walls: Lysaght Custom
a fire pit. Its volume is further described by more Orb in ‘Zincalume’; select grade
steel: a frame of columns and beams off which is hung red ironbark with Feast Watson
a loosely affixed curtain of the same black nylon mesh Prooftint in ‘Black’ diluted with
that runs taut around the raised, open dining room 1:1 reducer; Austral Masonry GB
Smooth in ‘Nickel’; chimney and
and encloses the corridor on the lower level. More
courtyard walls in stucco, sealed
black mesh, again pulled tight, offers shade overhead.
finish; agricultural shade cloth,
Weather curtains stop too much rain from entering supplied and installed by Netpro
the house when the mesh meets its match. Internal walls: Select grade
Red ironbark timber is used throughout, red ironbark; LVL and plywood
its dramatic warmth complementing a palette of black ceilings in Dulux ‘Black semi-gloss’
(stained timber, steel, nylon sheeting and joinery) and Windows and doors: Timber
the muted teal of the delicate rows of thin rectangular doors detailed by James Russell
tiles that wrap around the south-east corner of the Architect, custom made by
living room and offer a backdrop to the kitchen. A tiled Allkind Joinery; black doors in
shutter opens an unglazed window in the living room, Dulux high-gloss enamel in ‘Black’
Flooring: Concrete with beeswax
offering a connection to the landscape that is more than
finish; select grade red ironbark
just a view.
Lighting: Hanging pendant lights
The substantial form of the rendered concrete designed by James Russell
block chimney recalls the nineteenth-century farmer’s Architect, made by A Ceramics
cottage and the hinterland’s agricultural heritage. Kitchen: Spotted gum joinery
It is a reminder, too, that heat is not the only condition fronts by William McMahon
with which the subtropical house grapples, as it passes Cabinet Maker; tiles from National
through cool winters to reach its humid summers. (On Tiles and Glennon Tiles; Fisher
the day I visited, in early July, the thermometer made it and Paykel integrated refrigerator
to 20 degrees, but not before starting out closer to five.) and double dish drawer,
induction cooktop and oven
The finely detailed blockwork appears throughout the
Bathroom: Grohe taps, mixers,
construction of the lower level, recalling, too, the archi-
shower heads and rails; Bette
tectural experiments for managing light and shade in bath with custom copper spout;
Queensland during the 1950s and 60s. Villeroy and Boch basins and
Despite the prominence of the chimney, the toilets; tiles from National Tiles
hearth has been effectively relocated from the core of and Glennon Tiles
the interior to the firepit in the courtyard, and around Heating and cooling: Air condi-
it everything else is wrapped. The nylon curtain offers tioning, integrated with custom
provisional enclosure, protection from at least some slot in tongue and groove; Kemlan
of the elements, and in this respect the courtyard is Celestial fan-forced slow combus-
an atrium in the old sense: less an enclosure than an tion fireplace from Jetmaster
External elements: Beefeater
edge, the start and end of being inside. It invokes the
barbecue
long history in Australia’s north of building devices
to keep out creatures great and small. Even when the
curtain is drawn back, the structure recalls it clearly.
By now, a vine is making its way up the
rendered chimney. Within the courtyard, too, a climber
has been trained around four stakes to make its way 04 Shutters in the
up to a wire grid that sits under the mesh ceiling. The bathhouse tempt
climber offers an echo of the steel and nylon that will bathers to commune
grow louder with time. with nature.
28 LONG ROAD HOUSE

04
1 Entry
8 2 Passage
7 3 Kitchen
6
8 4 Dining
5 Living
9 6 Courtyard
2 1 7 Covered
10 outdoor
8 3 4 5
8 Bedroom
9 9 Store
10 Laundry
0 5m
Ground floor 1:400 First floor 1:400

05 06
05 Red ironbark
timber is a warm
contrast to the
stripped-back,
expressed structure.
06 Tiled walls and a

concrete chimney
wrap the living room
and focus attention
on the courtyard.
07 In the subtropical
climate, the nylon
curtain provides
protection from the
sun and insects.
30 LONG ROAD HOUSE

07
0 5m
Section 1:400
Architect Project team

James Russell Architect James Russell,
+61 427 704 288 Olivia Daw
mail@jrarch.com.au Builder Clare Build
jrarch.com.au Engineer Westera

M A R R I C K V I LLE
HALF HOUS E
BY
A I LE E N S AG E
ARC H I T E CTS
32
01
HOUSES 142 33
An unconventional house
on an inner-western Sydney
site is paired with a clever yet
unassuming new addition, proving
that charm can be reclaimed
and humility can be an asset.
Words by Casey Bryant

Photography by Tom Ferguson
At some point in time, in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville, half a house

was built. No one really knows why, but the other half of this Federation-era
semi never materialized. Despite its curious appearance, this “half house”
on the northern side of a not-so-dividing southern wall was a lovely little
place to live. Set on a block that was quite wide for the area, it had
a verandah that wrapped around from the street and into the garden.
This verandah was classic. It was nice and deep, offering a shaded
place in which to sit and chat to passers-by, and it was laid with pretty
little tessellated tiles. It ran around a grand room, where big windows
and multiple doors let the light, and friends, flow inside. Out the back
was a collection of other rooms that were less grand and a bit of a jumble:
a lean-to for the loo and a modest room for a kitchen.
Many years later, however, the house was beset by neglect
and grime; its windows were sad and its charm all but lost. Until a new
family decided it was time to make this little half a house whole again. 01 Facing sideways
These new owners engaged Aileen Sage Architects and together along the block,
they set about reinventing this house for the family of four. The budget the new living room
was modest – humble, like the house – but, with clever thinking, opens up the house
Aileen Sage transformed the house to fit the lifestyle the clients knew this to light and air.
34 MARRICKVILLE HALF HOUSE

Marrickville Half House
is built on the land of
the Gadigal and and
4 3 2
Wangal peoples of the Sydney, Alteration + Family Site 446 m² Design 13 m
Eora nation. NSW addition Floor 157 m² Build 8 m
place could provide. The grand room at the front is now a main bedroom Products
and living space, while the other rooms have been adapted into two Roofing: Lysaght Longline 305
simple rooms for the family’s two sons, a third for their instruments, decking in Colorbond ‘Windspray’;
two bathrooms and a smart, discrete laundry. Bradford Anticon roofing blanket;
Beyond, in the garden that the family loved, a new living room Gyprock Fyrcheck in Dulux
continues the idea of the verandah that works so well out the front. It is ‘Lexicon’
External walls: Existing recycled
a simple gesture – essentially one big room that opens sideways onto
brick; James Hardie Villaboard
the garden – but it opens up the house effectively. It is a move that pairs
lining with timber cover battens
inside with outside, connecting with the garden and drawing in light and in Dulux ‘Lexicon’
air; a contemporary interpretation of the grand room’s generous windows. Internal walls: James Hardie
Suddenly, with this simple addition, the lowly inner-west semi Villaboard lining with timber cover
was reborn. Often synonymous with mouldy, cramped and overshadowed battens in Dulux ‘Lexicon’
courtyards, this type of house rarely gets to have a garden this big and long. Windows and doors: Stegbar
The unconventional form of the half house resisted the typical response timber framed windows in Dulux
of a rear-facing addition, and instead the new long, north-facing room makes ‘Lexicon’
space for parties, proper shading, cross-ventilation and even little glimpses Floor ng: Honed terracotta
Flooring:
toward friendly neighbours. tiles from Bisanna Tiles; Honed
concrete slab in matt finish
The big, verandah-like living room takes design cues from
Lighting: Tommy Mini Spot LED
the elderly frontage. Exposed rafters are painted beams of engineered
by Studio Italia; Flos Mini Glo-
timber instead of the old spindly pine. A generous day bed mimics the bay Ball from Euroluce; Noosa 1 Light
window and is a place for the kids to climb and play. Casement windows from Tovo in stainless steel
are reinterpreted as solid panels, with fixed glass beside them so that Kitchen: Oven and gas cooktop
panels can be opened for ventilation yet without the need for flyscreens, by Smeg; Barbecue by Beefeater;
which obscure the view. And in the kitchen, marble benchtops recall the Argent Silver refrigerator by
fireplace surrounds that have survived all this time. Mitsubishi; Semi-integrated
The verandah room stops just short of the rear boundary, where dishwasher by Bosch
a majestic lemon tree nestles up to the house, pressed against a window Bathroom: Matt white rectified
to share its green and yellow highlights with those inside. It’s these little ceramic tiles from Surface
Gallery; Honed terracotta tiles
considerations – careful control of where to look and how things are
from Bisanna Tiles; Astra Walker
framed – that make the space so inviting.
tapware; Duravit wall basin;
With its rejuvenation complete, this humble little residence Parisi undercounter basin; Luna
is proud and vibrant once more, its grand rooms and generous verandah cleanflush from Caroma; Urbane
reconnected to the street and the neighbourhood. And, with a clever new Invisi Series II from Caroma
addition that embraces a glorious garden full of life, light and joy, this half External elements: Exsiting
a house is made whole. recycled brick
HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 35

02
1 Driveway 7 Music room

1 2 Porch 8 Bedroom
3 Main bedroom 9 Kitchen
12 4 Sitting 10 Dining
8 8
2 5 Entry 11 Living
6 Laundry 12 Lawn
5
3 4 6 10 11
7 9
0 5m
Floor plan 1:400

02 Exposed 01
rafters and marble
benchtops reflect
the character of the
original Federation-
era semi.
03 The new
garden, by Emily
Simpson Landscape
Architecture,
includes decorative
and edible planting.
04 The line of the

original verandah
is continued
in the alteration
and addition.
03
04

06
05
05 Two bathrooms
and a laundry are
neatly tucked away.
06 The bedrooms
are grouped at the
front of the house,
enabling separation
between zones.
07 The generous
depth of the half
house’s verandah
inspired the
new addition.

07
0 5m
Section 1:400
Architect Project team Amelia Holliday, Mitchell Bonus,

Aileen Sage Marek Vilášek, Isabelle Toland Builder MGB
+61 407 263 542 Carpentry, Bricklaying and Construction Engineer
studio@aileensage.com Structure Consulting Engineers Landscaping
aileensage.com Emily Simpson Landscape Architecture

V I VA R I U M
BY ARC H ITE CTU RE
ARC H ITECTU RE
40
01
HOUSES 142 41
02
1 Bedroom
2 Laundry
3 Kitchen
7 4 Dining
1
5 Living
6 5 1
6 Studio
7 Shed
4 3 2 1
0 5m
Floor plan 1:400
42 VIVARIUM
Modest and mindful yet formally
expressive, this revitalized Melbourne
cottage intertwines house with
landscape to create a spatially
generous family home in harmony
with the environment.
Words by Alexa Kempton

Photography by Tom Ross
In Thornbury in Melbourne’s inner-north, the long solution was to consolidate the plan and to reconnect
wide streets that connect the suburb to the parklands front and back by “getting a sense of the garden as
of Merri and Darebin Creeks are dotted with a steady soon as you enter the house.” The front four rooms now
mix of brick and weatherboard houses in varying condi- accommodate three bedrooms and a utilities area, with
tions of repair and revitalization. As in so many other living spaces incorporated in a new addition at the rear.
Australian suburbs, this rhythm is periodically, and with The addition is a deliberate counterpoint
increasing regularity, interrupted by new development: to the more conventional boxy, big-room extension.
older homes disappear and something newer, larger Responding to a northerly aspect and to a desire shared
and heavier emerges in their place, their bulky forms by architect and client to preserve the backyard, the
creeping out toward the boundary fences, relinquishing design team has created a sculptural addition that
formerly generous gardens to maximize internal space. draws the garden into the centre of the plan. Nick
For homeowners Kimberley and Justin, describes the house as being “tangled through with
watching these permutations unfold in their neigh- greenery,” and the curved glass scoop at the centre of
bourhood had made them realize that they wanted the addition encircles a wad of native grasses, giving
something different for the renovation of their own the impression that the house is flexing and yielding
modest weatherboard cottage; something better, but to the presence of the garden. This window is visible
not necessarily bigger. “We knew we didn’t want a big from the front door and greets visitors not with an
box on the back or a second storey,” explains Justin. expansive and imposing built form but rather with
“The footprint of the new work is pretty much the an unobstructed view of the garden of native grasses. 01 The sculptural
same as it was before the renovation.” The deliberate way in which this extension addition preserves
Kimberley and Justin engaged Architecture has been manipulated, allowing old and new to meet the backyard and
Architecture with a pragmatic request to reorganize their at its narrowest point, creates a rich spatial experience entangles the house
with native grasses.
house, to replace the old rooms at the back with a new despite the modestly scaled 65-square-metre footprint.
kitchen, living and dining area, and to build them a home The kitchen, dining and living rooms radiate out
02 Living areas
with low environmental impact. In its existing condition, from this pinch point, with changes in floor levels are landscape
the house’s front and rear were disconnected; a centrally and materials marking the transition between zones. as much as they
located bathroom truncated the corridor and the living The plan is open, and yet spaces are defined, making are house, drawing
space functioned as a thoroughfare. Practice director connection and seclusion simultaneously possible. light and garden
Nick James explains that Architecture Architecture’s Visual connections are maintained between the kitchen deep into the plan.

Vivarium is
built on the land
of Wurundjeri
4 3 1
people of the Melbourne, Alteration Family + 1 powder Site 402 m² Design 1 y 11 m
Kulin nation. Vic + addition room Floor 153 m² Build 1 y
and dining area, and between the kitchen and living Products
area, while sliding windows at two edges of the Roofing: Lysaght Klip-lok in
courtyard allow views from the main bedroom into ‘Zincalume’; Autex Greenstuf
the addition as desired. polyester batts; Kingspan
Air-cell glareshield
The separate courtyard at the house’s eastern
External walls: Blackbutt
edge, planted with thriving ferns, welcomes morning
battens from Nullarbor
sun into the kitchen and ensures the house is animated
Sustainable Timber; CSR
by shifting patterns of daylight. Built-in benchseats Cemintel Barestone panels in
in the kitchen and bedroom encourage inhabitation Dulux ‘Monument’ and Simpleline
of these thresholds, revealing Architecture Architecture’s panels in Dulux ‘Narrowneck’;
preoccupation with creating varied experiences. “Here, galvanized steel cladding
you can explore different niches, nooks, or spaces,” Internal walls: Rescom
Nick explains. “You get a different aspect as you magnesia cement cladding;
move through the house.” In place of large, expansive recycled silvertop ash lining
windows, alternating views of the garden are filtered boards; blackbutt battens from
and framed from different rooms, while moveable Nullarbor Sustainable Timber
Windows and doors:
doors Viridian
timber screens provide necessary sun shading. In time,
Energytech glass; blackbutt
a vine will grow over cables above the scoop of the
frames from Whetstone
addition, providing verdant summer shade and Windows and Doors; Lockwood
enhancing the effect of a house consumed by garden. stainless steel hardware
The house is precisely tuned to be a Flooring: Velieris Nublas carpet;
comfortable place in which to live – its name, Vivarium, concrete slab in ‘Premium
alludes to the idea of an enclosure that simulates Special Black’ from Aurora
natural living conditions – and this is due in no small Construction Materials
part to the material selections that were fundamental to Lighting: About Space Tin Hat
the brief. Kimberley and Justin were conscious of their pendant; Toss B Rozetta wall
environmental impact and keen to avoid chemicals, lamps from Hub Furniture;
Masson For Light downlights;
working with Architecture Architecture to ensure
recessed linear strip lighting
longevity, durability and low toxicity. The building
from Richmond Lighting
runs entirely on electricity, eliminating gas use, and a Kitchen: Big River Plywood joinery;
continuous insulation barrier delivers efficient thermal Abco Stainless Steel benchtop,
comfort. In the kitchen, plywood carcasses are used in No. 4 finish; Viridian Mirra Echo
place of MDF, and benchtops and fixtures are stainless mirror; Designer Doorware lip
steel, while magnesium oxychloride wall linings were pull joinery handle; slimline
used in lieu of plasterboard. Locally sourced handmade round joinery handle by Auburn
tiles for the kitchen reduce the house’s embodied Woodturning; Anchor Ceramics
energy. Materials were also repurposed: the timber Speckled White tiles; custom
battens on the external screens were made from the stainless steel sink; Caroma mixer;
Bosch cooktop and oven; Fisher
framing of the old extension, benchseats were made
and Paykel integrated dishwasher
from the old timber deck, and old insulation was
Heating and cooling: Big Ass Fans
reused in the shed, now converted into an office space.
ceiling fan; Beacon Lighting ceiling
Vivarium is a potent lesson in small-scale, fan with light; Nectre N60 fireplace
sustainable redevelopment in the suburbs,demonstrating External elements: Recycled
that modest alterations to existing houses can achieve brick paving
spatial generosity and cultivate a delightful setting Other: Ronstan Tensile
for family life, without sacrificing outdoor space. Architecture horizontal cables
44 VIVARIUM
03 04
03 Careful
material choices
reduce the home’s
environmental impact
and minimize the use
of artificial finishes.
04 Locally sourced Architect Project team Nick James,

handmade tiles Architecture Architecture Michael Roper, Daria Selleck
were selected to +61 3 9417 0995 Builder Bresnan and Smith
reduce the homes office@archarch.com.au Engineer Deery Consulting
embodied energy. architecturearchitecture.com.au Landscape architect Bush Projects

V I VA R I U M
Melbourne couple Kimberley and Justin
MEET THE approached Architecture Architecture with
a brief for a compact and environmentally
OWNERS considerate addition to their house, and

were gifted with a highly functional home
that is also unexpectedly beautiful.
WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT Photography by Tom Ross
Alexa Kempton What were you looking for

when you first started to research architects?
Justin We began by contacting a few different
practices, based initially on the work we saw
on their websites. As we knew that we were
going to work with an architect over a long
period of time, it was important to us that we
would be able to develop trust and rapport
with the people we worked with. Some of the
architects we contacted weren’t that friendly,
and others didn't get back to us at all. Our initial
interactions were an important part of helping
us make this decision.
Kimberley We had a strong preference to use
materials that had a minimal environmental
impact, as well as low toxicity, and felt that
this might not be a typical consideration for all
architects. Working with someone who was
open to and respectful of that was a priority.
We applied the same principle when choosing
our builder: we chose someone who took the
time to understand our values and worked to
make sure they were upheld.
AK What was your initial brief?

K We started with wanting the house to
be green, to have a minimal environmental
impact – the meaning of which evolved during
the process. I am sensitive to chemicals and
get migraines, so the house needed to be built
from materials that weren’t going to give me
headaches. Minimizing our family’s exposure
to toxins was also a priority; that was more
important to us than how it was going to look.
J The brief was as much about what we didn’t
want as what we did want. We wanted to
make sure that we didn’t radically increase
the footprint of the house, and that we still
had plenty of outdoor garden space. We know
that we are not designers, so we weren’t
01 prescriptive about how the space should look.
46 VIVARIUM
We did have some obvious functional issues to
address, but the brief was more about asking
“what can you do with the space, bearing in
mind our approach to materials and without
making something huge or extravagant?”
AK How did you find the process of working

with an architect?
K When I think back, the process was pretty
smooth. I did have anxious moments where
I wondered if it was actually going to work.
It’s hard to translate what you see on a
computer into your real life, envision yourself
living there and feel confident that it’s going
02
to work for you.
J During the process, the discussions about
what the house would be made of became
increasingly involved, as did our own under-
standing of materials. The most significant
discussions were about making sure we were calm. Lockdowns have been difficult but we
comfortable with material choices. feel so lucky to be in this house during them;
K Before we started I thought there would we’ve all been stuck at home but this house
be one perfect material for every application. has been a buffer against some of the chaos.
In reality, that’s not true; everything has
compromises. We sought advice from a AK What advice would you give to someone
building biologist, specifically on material who was thinking of working with an architect?
toxicity, who provided us with really detailed K It was overall a really positive experience.
knowledge about what we should use and I remember Nick [James, design director
what to avoid. at Architecture Architecture] saying to me
at one point during the process “it’s all about
AK What surprised you most about the the relationship,” and I think that’s true. Having 01 Despite a small
process, and the finished design? a mutually trusting relationship is essential footprint, the
K Part of the surprise was the totality of the to enable you to work through any difficulties addition offers a
work that architects do. There is so much detail that arise. distinct sequence
that is managed behind the scenes. The house J I think some good advice would be to of spaces to inhabit.
is so much more beautiful than we imagined. recognize your own limitations! If you have
We set out thinking more about how we might a fixed idea of something looking or being 02 The extension’s
live in the space, but have also ended up with a particular way, why would you engage an sinuous curves
a really beautiful house. architect? You’re engaging someone who create a sense of
J Over time, one of the most notable features can offer you expertise that you don’t have. being surrounded
has been how the space creates a sense of Be open minded to the possibilities. by garden.
HOUSES 142 WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT 47

MIELE SHOWCASE
Miele appliances combine refined
Why Miele? design and intuitive technology

with expert craftsmanship.
With a reputation for crafting appliances that surpass

the state-of-the-art, Miele continues to be the perfect
choice when it comes to selecting elegant appliances
that are both functional and reliable.
Guided by its “Immer Besser” philosophy,
Miele sees every groundbreaking innovation as an
opportunity to create something even better, going
as far as making its own parts and forging its own iron.
The company even makes the machines that make the
machines. It is this meticulous attention to detail that
gives you the utmost confidence that Miele appliances
will stand the test of time.
The company’s commitment to providing
appliances of the highest possible quality doesn’t end
there. You might be surprised to learn that a third of
its development time goes into testing. To put this into
perspective, some car engines undergo 3,000 hours
of testing, while Miele checks its performance with up
to 10,000* hours of testing for ultimate performance –
year after year. 01
Throughout the product development phase,
your needs are always at the forefront of Miele’s mind,
which is why it offers flexibility of choice when it comes 01 Different
to design.Options include four different design lines, design lines and
a minimalist handle-less solution and three colourways, colourways offer
ensuring seamless integration in every kitchen design. flexibility of choice.
The Miele range is also equipped with clever
innovations designed to create perfect results as well 02 Rigorous testing
as intuitive technology that lets your creativity really underpins Miele's
start to flow. commitment to
From refined design to expert craftsmanship, making high-quality
Miele clearly demonstrates that longevity is the ultimate appliances.
kind of sustainability.
03 A meticulous
attention to detail
ensures longevity.
48 MIELE.COM
02
For more information about

Miele’s premium appliances,
please visit miele.com.au/qait
*Discover more about Miele’s

03 testing at miele.com.au/quality
HOUSES 142 MIELE SHOWCASE 49

Architect Dean Williams's practice is based
on the joy he finds in the design
process, a drive to work collaboratively
George and his desire not to take himself

(or George) too seriously.
Words by Chloe Naughton

O N E T O W AT C H Photography by Clinton Weaver
01
When you learn that Sydney practice Architect George their back garden as soon as they enter the house,
was founded by an architect named Dean Williams, your with vistas of the garden framed from the entry.
first thought might justifiably be, “Then who is George?” Dean is intrigued by both residential and
As Dean explains it, George is no one in particular. George public architecture, a reflection of his time as a graduate
is a hypothetical person who represents whomever wants of architecture and, later, a registered architect at Sydney
to be involved in the practice now and in the future. With practice Welsh and Major, as well as his stint as a design
cautious optimism, Dean hopes that Architect George will manager at the City of Sydney. These experiences feed into
expand quite quickly, morphing from sole practitioner into the types of projects that Architect George will focus on:
a collective of collaborators who are all “in it” together. Dean’s intent is to collaborate with other architecture
This philosophy suggests trust and generosity, qualities that practices across domestic and public commissions. Thanks
Dean explains stem from a strong desire not to work on his to his time spent working at the City of Sydney, Dean has an
own but to be surrounded by other people and different ideas. insight into how public projects are typically procured
Architect George’s first commission, House in and has learnt about navigating the most ideal route to
Newtown, was the perfect project on which Dean could the desired outcome from witnessing other architects
test ideas and better understand where to prioritize floor approach the process in their own unique ways.
space while also enhancing access to greenery and natural Dean has several residential projects currently in
light. The renovation entailed alterations to a single-storey the works. While his sights are set on more public architecture
terrace in Newtown, Sydney on a block of only 67 square in the future, for now the work is focused on the residential
metres. Residential sites are typically tight and complex realm. A new house currently under construction on the
in inner-suburban Sydney and this one was no different: outskirts of Hobart, Tasmania is another small-budget
with a train line to the south and a community garden commission that will test his creativity in achieving more
to the north, the 3.6-metre-wide site had 13 different with less. One more commission, an alteration to a house in
boundaries to contend with. The clients had lived there Woollahra, Sydney for a couple with a love for antiques, will
for three years and loved the old house in its former provide a contemporary and quiet backdrop to their growing
state, with all its flaws, but they also wanted space to collection while also establishing a missing connection to
entertain and welcome friends and family to stay. The the central courtyard. Other local work includes interior
design response demonstrates that compact can also be renovations to houses in Kensington and Balmain.
comfortable. Through a series of simple moves, Dean has Listening to Dean talk about his approach to design,
transformed this once cramped and dark one-bedroom it is clear that he believes that architecture is fundamentally
residence, achieving generosity of space on a modest about people. “Everyone says that architecture should be
budget of less than $300,000. Every millimetre has been joyful, but I very much believe that the process of architecture
considered and the house now works very hard, pushing should be joyful,” he says. “At Architect George, I want to feel
everything to the limit. The bathroom was relocated like architecture is accessible to everyone, not only in budget
into a sculptural extension that steps out modestly into but also in the ways that we talk, write and communicate
the garden. A new second storey achieves an additional about architecture. It shouldn’t be that complex and everyone
bedroom and bathroom while retaining the same footprint should be able to take that journey and enjoy the spaces.”
as the original terrace. The homeowners can now appreciate architect-george.com
50 ARCHITECT GEORGE
02 03
01 Dean Williams
hopes to expand 04
the practice
into a collective.
Photography:
Pablo Veiga.
02 House in Newton
explores Dean’s
interest in how to live
in smaller spaces.
03 Despite its narrow

site, the house enjoys
a generous connection
to the outdoors.
04 On a small
budget, the addition
enhances access to
light while prioritizing
usable floor space.
HOUSES 142 ONE TO WATCH 51

Bookshelf 02
Words by Josh Harris 04
01 03
01 Works by Mim Design 02 Home Farm Cooking 03 Materiality 2021: Brick 04 Good Energy: Renewable
(Untitled Press, 2021) by Catherine and John Pawson and Block in Contemporary Power and the Design of
Celebrating 21 years in practice, (Phaidon, 2021) Architecture edited by Ron Ringer Everyday Life by Jared Green
Melbourne’s Mim Design has From a once-derelict farmhouse (Dry Press Publishing, 2021) (Princeton Architectural Press,
released a retrospective in the hills of the Cotswolds American architect Louis Kahn 2021) It’s not enough to pop
book looking at 13 of the studio’s in south-west England, John famously conversed with a brick, some PV panels on a roof as an
most memorable projects. and Catherine Pawson have asking the humble material what it “add on,” argues iconoclastic
Founded by Miriam Fanning produced a cookbook full of wanted to be. Perhaps, then, it’s Oakland designer Walter Hood.
in 2000, Mim Design has carved simple, unpretentious recipes, only fair that a promotional book If renewable energy is to feel
out a reputation as a consistently presented with a quiet charm that published by a brick manufacturer natural, indispensable in our built
excellent residential architecture will make you want to move to the can also aspire to be something environment, then designers need
and interiors firm with a focus country. The minimalist architect great. At 585 pages, with 61 to find ways to make it a part of all
on high-end projects. Reviewers and interior designer couple have projects and 21 illustrated essays aspects of daily life. “People need
in this magazine have praised transformed the ramshackle by architects and academics, to look at a pergola or a home that
the practice’s “lavish attention buildings of the historic home farm Brickworks’ latest tome is certainly integrates renewable energy and
to detail” (MAH Residence, (or manor farm) into a beautiful weighty. Editor Ron Ringer has say, ‘I want one of those!’” Good
Houses 108) and its ability to contemporary home. In addition compiled an impressive array of Energy features 16 housing
achieve an “incredible level of to the recipes, the book gives Australian projects where brick is projects where design is making
harmony in the resolution of the readers an architectural tour of the star, including some of the clean power “easy, appealing
architecture and interior details” the Pawsons’ country home, with most outstanding houses designed and affordable.” The row houses
(Sussex, designed with Powell intimate photographs revealing in recent years. There’s the 2018 depicted on the cover – Power
and Glenn, Houses 130). Printed their minimal style as well as Australian House of the Year, Peter of 10 in Örebro, Sweden, by Street
and bound in Melbourne, Works snippets of their personal lives. Stutchbury’s Cabbage Tree House; Monkey Architects – have angled
includes thoughtful commentary The recipes themselves are Kerstin Thompson Architects’ roofs to direct integrated PV
on each of the 13 projects from organized according to the cycle genre-bending Apartment House; panels toward the sun. At Paisano
Miriam Fanning, tracing the of the seasons – befitting an Baracco and Wright’s unforget- Green Community Senior Housing
evolution of a designer and a approach to food that values the table Rose House 2; Edition in El Paso, Texas, Workshop 8 has
practice. Hand-drawn sketches seasonal. Spring recipes include Office’s sublime Fish Creek House; designed the US’s first net-zero-
from the archives, along with an asparagus, pea and herb and Austin Maynard’s playful energy public-housing complex,
the gorgeously rich photography, frittata, a nettle risotto and a Brickface. Placed together, these combining age-old passive
provide new perspectives of lemon and almond cake; come projects reveal the diversity and design techniques with inventive
projects you may well have seen summer there’s a gazpacho “heady skill of this country’s residential mechanical systems. And at Trent
before. Providing further insight with the scents and flavours” of architects, while also displaying Basin in Nottingham, UK, a team of
into the practice’s processes are Andalucia; then there are autumn the versatility of brick. Essays by architects is creating a charming
interviews with regular collabo- staples such as apple and squash the likes of Clare Kennedy, Neil village that doubles as a power
rators Grazia and Co, and Behruz along with more unexpected Durbach, Chloe Naughton and plant. This is a thought-provoking
Studio. A foreword from design highlights such as crab and Jan van Schaik contextualize the book at a time when sustainability
writer Karen McCartney touches chicory; winter warmers include projects by exploring all nature of in housing is too often a drab
on Mim Design’s approach to a chicken and leek pie and a questions about bricks, Australian accounting exercise – how many
collaboration, illuminating the decadent chocolate, prune and culture, architecture and the panels are needed for that Green
committed and often intimate whiskey cake. These delectable humble outhouse. This is certainly Star rating? Instead, we see how
relationship between client dishes are served with cookware not the promo equivalent of just design might elevate renewable
and studio. and cutlery designed by John. another brick in the wall. energy into a thing of beauty.
52 READING
M I LK BAR
HOUSE
BY
K E N N E DY
NOLAN
54
01
HOUSES 142 55
In inner-suburban Melbourne,
the built legacy of a former milk bar
has been transformed into a calm
family home in which spaces are
zoned for practicality and for mood.
Words by Tobias Horrocks

Photography by Derek Swalwell
Sometimes the construction work of a previous owner offers “gifts” to a

house’s next occupants, despite having been undertaken for a different time, in
different conditions and with an entirely different agenda. The previous owners
of this house on a large block in Melbourne’s North Fitzroy ran a milk bar from
the side street and lived in the weatherboard cottage that faces the main street
corner. They maintained a large vegetable garden and, over the years, added
an assortment of lean-tos and utilitarian service sheds around the perimeter
of the site. However, by the time the new owners bought the property, the milk
bar had been closed for several years and the once-productive vegetable garden
had been long since neglected.
The new owners – a professional couple with a growing family –
approached architects Kennedy Nolan with a brief to enlarge the existing
house, incorporate a garden, and provide a substantial service shed/garage
facing the rear laneway. When looking at the existing built fabric through the
lens of the new requirements, Kennedy Nolan recognized that elements such
as tall masonry walls built against the boundary would come in very handy,
but they had no need to keep the structures themselves.
While all parties were keen to engage with the history of the site, they
did decide to demolish the milk bar. The only thing that remains is the opening
that used to be the shopfront, which Kennedy Nolan has converted into timber
doors with a new awning above that references the old one. “There’s no sign
of a milk bar beyond the doors – the site is all laid out predicated around the
sun, privacy, public and private in the house, and comfort,” explains architect
and principal of the practice, Rachel Nolan, “but there’s still the drama of
01 The milk bar’s
something behind a portal that’s so flat on the street.” Kennedy Nolan often long, high wall was
provides an informal entry to its residential extensions – a move that ensures retained, facilitating
calm and quietness in the front rooms of the existing houses, which as a result the clients’ request
are frequently used as bedrooms – but here, that alternative entry point was for a garage and
one of the site’s “gifts,” and the design team has made the most of it. working garden.
56 MILKBAR HOUSE
Milkbar House
is built on the land
of the Wurundjeri
4 3 2
people of the Melbourne, Alteration Family Site 548 m² Design 10 m
Kulin nation. Vic + addition Floor 280 m² Build 14 m
“You’re not necessarily expecting to enter into an open space,” Products

explains Rachel. “So that same opening that once took you in to get 20 cents’ Roofing: Lysaght Klip-lok
worth of chocolate bullets is still a really heightened journey into a space; in Colorbond ‘Surfmist’,
it’s still a special entry.” Revolution Roofing Heritage
The courtyard house is a type with a long history, in both Western Galvanised in Z600
External walls: Bagged recycled
and Eastern architectural traditions, yet it isn’t common in Australia. Planning
brick in Dulux ‘Grand Piano Half’;
controls make it hard to insert a walled compound into a suburb made up of
Powdercoat finish in Dulux ‘Deep
heritage-protected neighbourhood character such as this one. But the courtyard Aloe Vera’; Sculptform Blackbutt
type is a great solution for this site: its long edge faces north, which is where tongue and groove cladding
you want to maximize glazing to draw in winter sunlight, but it also faces a side Internal walls: Bagged face
street and therefore needs to preserve privacy. “Even though the footpath is brick in Dulux ‘Calf Skin Half’
only a wall away, it feels like you could be anywhere. It almost feels like there’s Windows: Austview reeded glass;
building completely all the way around you,” says Rachel. Viridian double-glazed windows
The entry courtyard features a circular opening in the roof – an Doors: Hardwood-framed
“oculus,” as Rachel puts it. The simple geometric opening frames neighbouring doors in blackbutt
Flooring: Floorspace carpet
treetops and, on sunny days, a pool of light tracks its way across the ground
in Fine Ribbed Slate Sisal
and into the new extension. A deciduous, red-leafed parthenocissus vine will
Lighting: Giant pendant and Dish
eventually grow around the oculus, creating additional shade and introducing pendant from Anna Charlesworth;
colour to the otherwise minimal, zen-like space. An adjacent garden has been Hotaru Double Bubble light from
planted to become denser and wilder, admitting soft, filtered light into an Twenty Twenty One; Anton in
east-facing home office and creating a treed view for the kitchen. The whole white from Volker Haug; RBW
site has been divided into different functional and atmospheric zones. A wall Ledge Round from Living Edge;
separates the courtyard from the large service area and vegetable garden at Vibia Tempo from Koda Lighting
the rear, with a sliding door that can be opened to unite the spaces for parties Kitchen: Cabinetry by Grange
or for kids to run through. Joinery in Dulux ‘Bamboo Shoot’,
The interior spaces are similarly zoned into different moods and Honed Carrara marble benchtop;
Nazari Fes glazed tiles from
settings. Of the renovated weatherboard bungalow, Rachel says “there’s
Earp Brothers
a real calmness to this part of the house. When there’s a big, serviceable,
Bathroom: Honed terrazzo tiles
open, practical room in the back with all that beautiful concrete slab, it’s in ‘The Sunbaker’ from Fibonacci
nice to have some softness to come into. As an office we often talk about that Stone; Nazari Fes glazed tiles
contrast in experiences. You can feel different in different parts of the house, from Earp Brothers; Omvivo
soft and dark or light and bright and harder.” A pair of adjacent bathrooms basin in white; Brodware tapware
have a small footprint but tall ceilings, their green tiled walls extending right in ‘Rumbled Brass’
up into the pitched roof. They share the light from a single existing window, External elements: Edwards Slate
with a new v-shaped glazing line providing daylight to both sides of their and Stone Bluestone crazy paving
shared wall. These angled window panes are visible from the street, framed Other: Custom sofa designed
by Kennedy Nolan, made by Mark
behind a reinterpreted security screen that repeats the circular motif of the
Tuckey; Customized Ivy Coffee
courtyard, a subtle moment of visual intrigue offered to the street.
Table from Grazia and Co; The
In Milkbar House, Kennedy Nolan has not only designed a rich and Feast dining table by Mark Tuckey;
inviting new family home, but also revitalized the home’s street presence in Expormim Frames chairs from
a gift to the neighbourhood. By engaging with the built fabric – subtracting Kezu; Percival Lafer armchair
from, adding to or manipulating its form – the design team has inscribed from Smith Street Bazaar;
a new chapter in the history of this place. Berber custom rug by Loom Rugs

02
1 Hall
2 Bedroom
3 Sitting / guest room
4 Main bedroom
4
5 Study
6 Laundry
12 13
2 7 Tree courtyard
5
7 8 Kitchen
1 9 Pantry
10 Dining
2 11 Living
3 14
8 10 11 12 Lawn quadrangle
6
9 13 Garage
14 Working garden
0 5m
Floor plan 1:400
58 MILKBAR HOUSE
02 Blackbutt 03
timber softens
the bagged brick
of the interior walls.
03 The bathrooms
have a small footprint
but their tiled walls
extend high up into
the pitched roof.
04 The kitchen,
living and dining
spaces face onto
the courtyard.
04

05
05 Despite the
proximity of the
street, the courtyard
acts as a private oasis.
06 The original
shopfront opening has
been preserved, with
a new awning added.
07 A pool of sunlight
tracks its way
into the extension
through the “oculus.” 06
60 MILKBAR HOUSE
07
0 5m
Section 1:400
Architect Project team Patrick Kennedy,

Kennedy Nolan Rachel Nolan, Adriana Hanna, Jack
+61 03 9415 8971 Lawrence, Peter Cole Builder CBD
email@kennedynolan.com.au Contracting Engineer Webb Consult
kennedynolan.com.au Landscaping Amanda Oliver Gardens

R I L E Y’S T E R R AC E
BY ADE LE MC N A B
ARCHITECTS
01
62
02
HOUSES 142 63
03 04
1 Entry
2 Sitting
6 3 Kitchen
7 4 4 Courtyard
5 Living/studio
6 Main bedroom
7 Roof garden
First floor 1:200
2
3
5 4
1
0 5m
Ground floor 1:200
64 RILEY’S TERRACE
Small urban living is reimagined
in this resourceful alteration,
resulting in an inventive, future-proof
courtyard house tucked behind
a terrace facade in Sydney’s Redfern.
Words by Sing d’Arcy

Photography by Clinton Weaver
It is easy to be beguiled by the charm of the rows or out were curtailed from the outset. Faced with
of nineteenth-century terrace houses when walking so many constraints, where does an architect start? 01 Riley’s Terrace
the streets of Sydney. Each home, near-identical to its Instead of looking to the terrace type as a basis, comprises two
neighbours and yet often very slightly different, marks Adele drew inspiration from other models of Sydney pavilions that
the passing of time and the stories of the people who residential architecture, notably the work of Richard communicate across
have lived there. However, as anyone who has ever Leplastrier, Glenn Murcutt and Peter Stutchbury. While an open courtyard.
lived in a terrace house can attest, this housing typology the dense urbanity of Redfern may seem incongruous
02 Unlike a typical
has its downsides. Terrace houses are typically dark with the bush settings of Pittwater, it was these
terrace house,
and lack communication to the exterior environment, architects’ focus on connecting the interior of their the design enables
and the infamous midnight downstairs “dunny run” houses to the exterior environment that Adele drew spaces to be opened
is enough to test the mettle of even the hardiest. on for the overall spatial configuration of the terrace. up or closed off.
Transforming a Victorian terrace into a home that As Adele explains, “even though we’re in the city, the
is suited to contemporary living is a challenge, with environment should still be part of the experience.” 03 The provision
many projects struggling to truly innovate and therefore The house can be conceived of as two of a living space
delivering a compromise. For her own family home independent pavilions – one single storey, the other and compact
in Redfern, architect Adele McNab has taken a radical two storeys – that communicate across an open bathroom ensures
flexibility of use in
approach, deconstructing the DNA of the nineteenth- courtyard. The rooms on the ground level include
the rear pavilion.
century terrace house and reassembling the pieces to a cooking space and bathroom, and two additional
create an inspirational twenty-first-century dwelling. rooms that are left free of assigned function. Each 04 Two first-floor
With a frontage just over three metres wide, pavilion has its own street entrance and bathroom rooms have been
Adele didn’t have much wiggle room when it came to facilities. In essence, the terrace type has been recon- consolidated into
the redesign of the house. Heritage restrictions and ceived as a courtyard house. What is ingenious about a main bedroom
solar access issues meant that options for going up this configuration is that there is no space wasted to and bathroom.

Riley’s Terrace
is built on
the land of the
3 1 1
Gadigal people Sydney, Alteration Family + 1 powder Site 62 m² Design 6 m Per m²
of the Eora nation. NSW + Addition room Floor 62 m² Build 8 m $7,900
circulation. The full width of the plot is dedicated to the Products

interior, and the spaces are light-filled with seamless Roofing: Flashings in Colorbond
connections to the exterior and, most beautifully of all, ‘Surfmist’; Atlantis drainage cells
views to the sky. To achieve this, there is no covered External walls: Cedar shiplap
cladding from Danias Timber
connection between the front and back pavilions. Adele
in natural stain; Porter’s Paints
acknowledges that there is a certain risk involved when
Lime Wash paint in ‘Washed Linen’
implementing such a radical solution, but as this was a
Internal walls: Unfinished plaster
home for her and her family, it was one that she could Windows: Cedar window frames
take, and one that has definitely paid off. from Nicco Timber Windows
The upper level, previously accommodating two and Doors in natural stain;
bedrooms, has been consolidated as a suite. The treach- stainless steel canopy by Chunk
erously steep stair has been replaced with a spiral Design; Madinoz hardware from
stair, above which is an oculus to the sky, continuing Keeler Hardware in brushed
the desire to connect all spaces to the exterior. The nickel; linen curtains from
distribution space between the bathroom and bedroom Homelife Furnishings
Flooring: Concrete Colour
has been used as storage, and the depth of this
Systems concrete oxide in
joinery forms deep thresholds to the adjoining rooms.
‘Honeycomb’; reclaimed timber
This simple design device creates the perception of flooring in natural oil stain
“thickened” walls and extends the transition experience Lighting: I-Pipedi ceiling lights
between spaces. Concealed doors provide acoustic and from Gineico Lighting; Hay Rice
visual privacy when needed, an important consider- Paper Shade; external wall light by
ation in small homes where the desire for openness and Tanika Jellis; Blossi wall light from
connection often comes at the cost of peace and privacy. Great Dane; kitchen pendant by
Issues of privacy, adaptability and longevity Bengt Karlby from Vampt Vintage
were important considerations in the design of the Kitchen: Smeg refrigerator, oven,
cooktop, integrated dishwasher
house. The rear pavilion can be a living space, a work
and integrated rangehood
studio or, when Adele’s son grows older, a teen retreat.
Bathroom: Earth Sienna tiles from
Spaces can be closed off or opened up as needed. The
Surface Gallery; Yokato tapware
traditional terrace house design wouldn’t have allowed from Brodware in ‘Brushed Nickel’;
for these permutations and would likely have prompted custom stone vanity and sink
the family to look for bigger accommodation as their by Granite and Marble Works;
living requirements changed. Adele hopes that the Synergii acrylic freestanding
adaptive nature of this design will allow her family bath; Grab vertical heated rail;
to stay here for many years. Zellige glazed tiles from Eco
The architectural configuration of the house Outdoor; Brooklyn Copper Co.
wasn’t the only area in which Adele challenged conven- outdoor shower
External elements: Cowra
tion. Instead of falling back on the all-too-common trope
gold pebbles; grass tree from
of all-white and bright, Adele has grounded the interior
Draco Concepts
in warm, earthy hues. The unpolished concrete slab has Other: Enzie spiral staircase; Fritz
an oxide colouring reminiscent of Sydney sandstone, Hansen stools from Cult; Adam
the walls are in unfinished plaster, and furnishings, Goodrum sofa; Ilse Crawford rug
fixtures and highlights are picked out in a deep ochre
05 Sky views –
red. A grass tree is a focal point in the courtyard, its including through
black trunk anchoring the palette of the home. an oculus above the
Riley’s Terrace is a reimagining of what small spiral stair – ensure
urban living can be and demonstrates that spatial that the interiors
richness can be found even in small dimensions. are filled with light.
66 RILEY’S TERRACE
05
0 5m
Section 1:200
Architect Project team Adele McNab, Ellen Chen

Adele McNab Architects Builder owner-builder Engineer Alba
+61 420 600 302 and Associates Surveyor Chadwick
hi@adelemcnab.com Cheng and Associates Stormwater
www.adelemcnab.com consultant NB Consulting Engineers

3 HOUSE
BY C H A N N O N
ARC H I T E CTS
A N D B U R TO N
ARC H I T E CTS
01
68
02
HOUSES142 69
A single-storey worker’s cottage in
Brisbane is transformed into three
autonomous and adaptable units,
making a compelling case for greater
density in the suburbs.
Words by Silvia Micheli

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones
Channon Architects and Burton Architects’ 3 House can be considered as a

manifesto for Brisbane’s new wave in reimagining inner-city residential living,
where density is rapidly – and inexorably – increasing in areas that are still
dominated by character housing. After acquiring a traditional one-storey
worker’s cottage on a corner block of New Farm, architects Ceirwen Burton
and Craig Channon took on the dual role of architects and clients, designing
a home for their multigenerational family as well as an office for their archi-
tecture practices.
The planning of 3 House’s program and layout was underpinned by
Ceirwen and Craig’s intent to maximize site coverage and allowable volume.
As a result, the existing cottage has been lifted and a new storey inserted
beneath it, while an extension has been added at the rear. The cottage, which
occupies the main street address and currently houses the studio shared by
Ceirwen and Craig, can easily be converted back into a dwelling when required. 01 The original
Underneath, a small studio has independent access to the side street and worker’s cottage has
is presently occupied by Craig’s mother. The new volume at the rear of the been lifted and an
independent studio
site, organized over several split levels, accommodates the main residence.
added beneath.
In dividing the site into three autonomous units – thereby allowing for
changes in the use of one unit without impacting the others – the architects 02 At the rear of the
have created a future-proofed scheme with a high degree of flexibility. site, a new addition
Externally, 3 House’s material expression interprets the quick urban wrapped in Corten
transformations occurring in its immediate surroundings, where traditional steel contains the
residential character is morphing into an unprecedented mixed-use scenario. main residence.
70 3 HOUSE
3 House
is built on
the land of the
5 3 2
Yuggera and Brisbane, Alteration Multigener- +1 + 1 outdoor shower Site 264 m² Design 2 y Per m²
Turrbal peoples. Qld + addition ational family (granny flat) + 1 (granny flat) Floor 290 m² Build 4 y $3,103
The palette includes bricks for the undercroft of the timber cottage and Corten Products
for the extension, creating a textured appearance that allows the building Roofing: Ripple Iron Corten steel
to merge into the urban context. While the use of bricks pays homage to the with custom profile; ZC Technical
postwar southern European influence on residential built form in New Farm, 1.5 mm Corten steel with custom
the use of Corten speaks to the future of the area. Despite the rather stern look profile; Kingspan insulation
External walls: Ripple Iron
of brick and rusting steel cladding, the house possesses a surprising level of
Corten steel with custom profile
porosity to the street, making it an intriguing example of how the urban grain
Interna walls: Austral Masonry
Internal
can be managed in a creative way. concrete blocks; Eco Outdoor
In the main residence, the proximity to the street has been deftly honed limestone; Mutina Azulej
handled through a set of choices that lead to a positive yet controlled engage- tiles in ‘Nero Flores’ and Mate
ment with the public realm. For instance, opaque louvres on the ground floor tiles in ‘Terra Oliva,’ both from Ace
allow for natural light and air circulation while respecting the privacy of Stone and Tiles; Sharp Plywood
the interior. At the very back of the block, a big corner opening – the “social spotted gum veneer; smooth
window” – sits quite close to the fence line, which has been realized in welded Venetian plaster in custom grey
wire mesh to support growing vines. This arrangement generates a staged Windows: Breezway louvres;
transition from the living space of the main residence into the garden and, Aneeta sashless double-hung
eventually, to the street. By means of the vines, one has the perception of windows; Viridian clear grey
and Lumina Cloud glass in grey
cars and pedestrians passing by without being completely exposed to, nor
with additional acid etching
secluded from, them. At the same time, the social window works as a sitting
Doors: Internal doors in Dulux
area, making it an interactive space between the courtyard, enriched by the ‘Heritage Green’ and Osmo oil;
presence of a pond, and the lounge area of the interior. Drawing in light and custom steel entry door
breeze and providing an elegant edge on which to sit, this corner is the hotspot with Lumina Cloud glass;
for social gathering. Brio sliding louvre door tracks
If the articulation of the ground floor is driven by its relationship with Flooring: Mutina Azulej tiles
the street, then the upper levels are connected to the urban surroundings by in ‘Nero Flores’ and Mate tiles in
means of generous openings on to the neighbourhood. These openings frame ‘Terra Oliva’ from Ace Stone and
views of the rich roofscape of the area: an assortment of rusted tin sheets, tiled Tiles; Bremworth Galet carpet in
pitches and a distinctive Italian memory, a vista toward a hilltop campanile. ‘Cinder’; Godfrey Hirst Carramar
carpet in ‘Coal Ash’; concrete slab
The materiality of the interiors creates a dynamic alternation of
Lighting: Louis Poulsen AJ Eklipta
positive and negative spaces across the levels of the main residence. The bare
wall lights and Wohlert pendants;
masonry walls of concrete block are contrasted with timber panelling and
Caribou track lights; Unios garden
joinery in spotted gum. The textural variation from smooth cedar to rough lights; Lumen8 LED strip lights
blockwork generates a vibrant tension between moments of warm tactility Kitchen: Solid spotted gum
and spareness. In the open kitchen, vertically laid thin green tiles, naturally benchtops and battens in Osmo
lit by a hidden skylight, are an elegant backdrop to the culinary performances oil and cabinets painted in Dulux
animating the living space. ‘Maximus’ by Sunshine State
Despite occupying 75 percent of the site, the house does not Cabinets; Handle Home lip-pull
sacrifice the possibility of experiencing the “domestic garden.” Putting aside cabinet handles; Inax Biyusai
the nostalgia for a traditional backyard that is typical of Brisbane’s suburban mosaic finger tiles in green
residential areas, Ceirwen and Craig have thought more strategically about from Artedomus; Ilve oven
and cooktop; Fisher and Paykel
the relationship between the house and its green spaces. The original backyard
refrigerator; Blanco Subline 700
has been atomized into seven small pockets, which are distributed across the
sink; Astra Walker Icon mixer
floors. Each micro-garden is specifically designed to interact with and expand
Heating and cooling: Big Ass
the different rooms of the main residence. This is particularly successful Fans Haiku ceiling fan
in the ensuite, the roofless shower of which is connected to the sky and to External elements: Inax Biyusai
a small garden intruding from the side. This thoughtful planning enriches pond tiles from Artedomus;
the living spaces throughout 3 House and is proof that greater density in Claypave custom brick paver;
the suburbs is possible without sacrificing a unique relationship to nature. steel-reinforced mesh fence

03
19 16
5 16
9 9
Second floor 1:400

1 Entry 11 Gym
2 Dining 12 Granny flat
3 Lounge 13 Architecture
9 13
4 Kitchen studio
16 15
18
10 5 Stair 14 Laundry
5
6 Carport 15 Rumpus
17 14
7 Store 16 Bedroom
8 Pond 17 Robe
9 Garden 18 Outdoor shower
First floor 1:400 10 Courtyard 19 Roof terrace
10 1 6 12
3 2
8
11
4
5 7
0 5m
Ground floor 1:400
72 3 HOUSE
04
05
03 A“social window”
enables controlled
engagement with
life on the street.
04 The traditional
backyard has been
fragmented into
pocket gardens,
giving each space
its own link to
the natural world.
05 The central stair

acts as a vertical
verandah, allowing
light and air to flow
through the house.

06 07
0 5m
Section 1:400
06 Timber joinery
contrasts vibrantly with
bare masonry walls. Architects Project team Craig Channon,
Channon Architects Burton Architects Ceirwen Burton Builder Owner
07 In the ensuite, +61 7 3358 5095 +61 403 976 166 Engineer Myoni Landscaping
a roofless shower is mail@channonarchitects.com.au ceirwen@burtonarchitects.com.au Steven Clegg Design in
connected to the sky. channonarchitects.com.au burtonarchitects.com.au collaboration with the architects
74 3 HOUSE
A splash Neon pink tables, forest green floors,
wintry blue walls – these colourful products
04
of colour can add a little something to a room or

completely transform a space.
Find more residential products:

selector.com and productnews.com.au
01
02
03
05
01 V Collection 03 First Masterpieces 05 Tæpper rug collection

Crafted in an array of natural colours and London designer Ilse Crawford has developed Defined by a minimal but alluring use of
finishes, Havwoods V Collection features a new colour palette for a limited release of colour, the Tæpper collection is an exploration
European oak engineered timber suitable the first chairs that Hans J. Wegner created in abstract, hand-tufted rug design. The rugs
for floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, bespoke for Danish furniture manufacturer Carl Hansen come in four Danish-inspired colours: Lyserød
joinery and more. Pictured is the Ryde Rustic and Son. Crawford uses five earthy shades to (Pink); Monokromatisk (Monochromatic); Grøn
finish, a versatile colour to suit most spaces. bring a fresh perspective to the classic designs. (Green) and Fløde (cream).
havwoods.com cultdesign.com.au tsarcarpets.com
02 Living Pigments 04 Portal (3)

Laminex has added a number of new finishes Portal (3) is a 2021 artwork by Brisbane’s Andy
to its range, including the seven solid colour Harwood that combines contrasting chromatic
decors that make up the Living Pigments spectrums and intricate patterns. The artwork
collection. The forest green of Hushed Pine was sold through Studio Gallery, a Melbourne-
contrasts with the dusty red of Moroccan Clay and Sydney-based gallery representing a range
and the dramatic blackened hues of Kalamata. of artists, both emerging and established.
laminex.com.au studiogallerymelbourne.com.au
76 PRODUCTS
06 09
07
08 10
06 Penrose table 08 Built-in black glass ovens 10 Soda coffee table

Penrose is a large dining table based on A black glass oven can add a sleek touch Designed by Yiannis Ghikas for Miniforms,
mathematician Roger Penrose’s impossible to a contemporary kitchen. The Bosch the Soda TS500 coffee table is a master
triangle. Designed by Hayo Gebauer for La Series 8 ovens are made in Germany class in the art of blown glass. Each table
Chance, it is available in surprisingly playful with quality stainless steel and black glass. is blown, drawn out and shaped by three
colours: the glass is neon pink and the timber is The intuitive Bosch control panel is simple master glassmakers. The table is available
stained in soft orange, pale pink and dark blue. to use, making cooking nice and easy. in petrol green or amber glass.
livingedge.com.au bosch.com.au jrf.com.au
07 Verge Passage Set 09 Catchall trays

The gleaming brass of the Nido Verge Formed from resin poured into clay moulds
Passage Set from Windsor Hardware brings by skilled artisans, Catchall trays from
a sense of luxury to the home. The design Barcelona studio Octaevo offer a minimalist
references industrial pipe systems, with and functional solution for storing small
an intersected neck and lever finished by gadgets, cosmetics or stationery. Placed
a barrel etched in diamond knurling. together, they form a string of colourful islands.
windsorhardware.co.nz octaevo.com
HOUSES 142 COLOUR UPDATE 77

12
11 14
13 15
11 The Retreat palette 13 Coloursmith colour matching 15 Kerlite Easy

Dulux has worked with stylist Bree Leech to Coloursmith by Taubmans integrates colour Kerlite Easy from Rocks On is an innovative
re-energize a child’s bedroom using colours matching and visualization technologies porcelain stoneware system based on highly
from the rich and cosy Retreat palette. with a smartphone app. The Coloursmith durable, ultra-thin, waterproof ceramic slabs.
The deep blue of Dulux’s ‘Winter Sea’ Reader can precisely colour match any The dry-laying installation system makes for
is complemented by the gentle ‘Vintage non-transparent surface, allowing the user easy, fast application of the slabs, which have
Linen’ to create a relaxing, calm space. to order a sample pot delivery with a click. a thickness of only seven or eight millimetres.
dulux.com.au taubmans.com.au rockson.com.au
12 Trichroic Dalston Shapes rugs 14 Paperwall

Designed by Amsterdam studio Rive Roshan, Paperwall is a wood-fibre-based paper
the Moooi Carpets Trichroic Dalston Shapes surface that replicates the colour, grain and
rugs bring subtle colour and movement to texture of timber and other materials with
interior spaces with intricate shifting lines unrivalled realism. The surface is achieved
and soft colour gradients. The two designs through a combination of high-definition
shift in appearance according to vantage point. printing and precision embossing.
spacefurniture.com.au eltongroup.com
78 PRODUCTS
202 1
8 Yard House
Three House by Studio Bright Federal House
by John Ellway with Peachy Green by Edition Office
Brunswick Apartment
Annerley House Highgate Park House by Murray Barker
by Zuzana and Nicholas by Vokes and Peters and Esther Stewart
Night Sky Y3 Garden SRG House

by Peter Stutchbury Architecture by Dan Young Landscape Architect by Fox Johnston
Thanks to our 2021 Houses Awards supporters:

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HERE NEXT YEAR THE 202 2 PROGRAM
HOUSESAWARDS.COM.AU
Lambton House
by Curious Practice
Highlands House East Fremantle House

by Other Architects by Nic Brunsdon
Mystery Bay House

by Jack Hawkins Architect The Hat Factory
with Rob Hawkins by Welsh and Major
The Lothian
by Kennedy Nolan
Oliver Lane Apartment

Mt Coot-tha House by O'Connor and Houle Twin Houses
by Nielsen Jenkins Architecture and Landscapes by John Ellway
02
01
Nikolai Australian-born, Denmark-based designer
Kotlarczyk Nikolai Kotlarczyk produces work that is both

simple and decorative, distilling narrative-laden
ideas into refined, geometric expression.
FURNITURE AND
LIGHTING DESIGNER Words by Leanne Amodeo
There’s a sense of deliberate eclecticism to Nikolai Chapel takes the stained glass rose window as a motif,
Kotlarczyk’s portfolio, undoubtedly bred from a strong strips it right back and repeats it to form the top of the
graphic expression that incorporates bold curves and table’s steel frame, while Barocche adopts the graphic
rationalized forms, as well as the odd decorative flourish. qualities of the churches’ schematic plans to striking
The Mullumbimby-born, Copenhagen-based furniture effect, paired with an oxidized brass finish.
and lighting designer takes visual cues from all around These designs highlight Nikolai’s emphasis on
and works hard to manifest them as purposeful designs robust materiality and the importance it plays in realizing
relevant to interior environments. his ideas. He often favours steel because it allows him
“My inspiration comes from outside the world to articulate an idea graphically, as seen in Indre, his new
of design and I combine this with my knowledge of design lighting design for Rakumba. In this instance, the fitting’s
history and the contemporary design industry,” he explains. finely executed metalwork – in the form of an interlocking
“Then I ‘cook down’ or re-contextualize these inspirations modular rod system – allows for configurations that are
into refined, beautiful products.” Nikolai’s approach is quite simply stunning. Nikolai studied interior design at
highly considered and, while simplicity drives the aesthetic, Queensland College of Art, a background that has enabled
his penchant for narrative-laden concepts imbues each him to view product design as an extension of an interior.
piece with personality, evoking curiosity and a sense of That foundation is especially evident in Indre, which
playfulness. In the Royce armchair for SP01, for example, defines a space through its arrangement.
a sculptural, curvaceous wing-back form is inspired by Currently working on a presentation to be
the loud, colourful tropical birds that lived in the rainforest shown in Milan 2022 and furniture and lighting collections
where he grew up – a joyous nod to his childhood. for existing and new collaborators, Nikolai continues
The concepts for the Chapel coffee table for to focus on producing timeless designs. “I want my
Design By Them and the Barocche mirror, on the other hand, work to have relevance for many years to come,” he says.
were informed by Nikolai’s recent European travels. “I have “Combining strong forms with durable, high-quality
always loved the architecture and monumental forms of materials and great manufacturing is the best approach
baroque churches – the scale and grandeur, materiality to design and the environment.”
and theatricality – especially the ones in Italy,” he says. czyk.com.au
82 NIKOLAI KOTLARCZYK
04
03
05
01 Nikolai Kotlarczyk
says his inspiration
is drawn from outside
the world of design.
Photograph by
Mathias Christensen.
02 The Barroche 04 The wing-back

series of brass chair is given a strong
mirrors mimic graphic expression
the plans of in Royce for SP01.
baroque churches.
05 Chapel’s
03 Delicate glass symmetry and
capsules and transparency stem
a modular rod from the opulence
system define of stained glass.
the Indre pendant Photograph:
for Rakumba. Pete Daly.
HOUSES 142 STUDIO 83

TOOWONG
R E N O V AT I O N
BY K I N
A R C H I T E CTS
84
01
HOUSES 142 85
A new addition to a much-loved
Brisbane cottage unearths the latent
possibilities of a sloping suburban
site, interlacing house and garden
while preserving the neighbourliness
of its laneway locale.
Words by Sheona Thomson

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones
In the hands of skilled architects, home renovation challenges are trans-

formed into experiences that delight and enrich domestic life. A design may
celebrate valued elements while bringing forth beautiful qualities of a place
not hitherto available. Accessing this power of imaginative insight is one
considerable benefit of working with an architect. Arguably, though, the fuel
for this potentiality is provided by clients who embrace the process and bring
to it their valuable knowledge and experience of a place and how they’d like to
live more wholly within it.
Such is the case for this home on a quiet lane in Toowong, Brisbane,
designed by Marjorie Dixon and Leah Gallagher of Kin Architects working
with their clients Alice and James. Having lived in the old house for a decade
and a half, Alice and James desperately needed more space for their family
than their small cottage contained. But they also wanted to maintain the
small cottage qualities, which were integral to the scale and neighbourliness
of the laneway where children play and easy community sociability is nurtured.
Additionally, with a site that slopes down from the street, they lamented
the lack of connection to the rear garden and didn’t love having to “pack a
picnic” in order to spend time there. As Alice explains, their other aim was
“to see greenery out of every window.”
Kin Architects set about solving the cottage’s imperfections, working
to create more space for the growing family and to nurture a real connection to
their place that allowed them to enjoy all of it, while also celebrating the house’s 01 Living spaces in
neighbourly relationship to the laneway at the front. The decision was made the sub-street-level
to dig down and excavate under the existing cottage to create a new sub-street addition open directly
level of living, kitchen and dining zones that open directly on to the back garden. onto the back garden.
86 TOOWONG RENOVATION
Toowong
Renovation is built
on the land of the
4 4 2
Yuggera and Brisbane, Alteration Family + powder Site 404 m² Design 8 m
Turrbal peoples. Qld + addition room Floor 240 m² Build 11 m
With living spaces created on the lower level, Kin could tweak Products
the compartmentalized rooms of the original cottage to become a private Roofing: Lysaght Custom
retreat of bedrooms, family room and study. “There was no need to take a Orb in Zincalume
sledgehammer to the footprint of rooms in the cottage,” says Leah.“It would External walls:
wal s: Off-form
naturally make a good dormitory space,” she explains, when it was relieved concrete in CCS Streetscape
sealer; blackbutt batten screen
of having to accommodate all the functions of a home.
in Feast Watson oil; Paraline
While maintaining street-level access to the cottage, Kin remade
glass blocks; James Hardie Zero
the setback transition as a combination of hard and soft landscapes to
Lot wall system in Dulux ‘Domino’
incorporate new gated access leading directly to the lower level. This was Internal walls: Blackbutt veneer
augmented by friendly gestures to the street, including a little lane-side in Feast Watson Fine Buffing oil;
seat and green-painted circles on the concrete slab. plasterboard in Dulux ‘Domino’;
The new lower-level interior opens wide to a grassed courtyard and VJ boards in Dulux ‘Whisper
hard terrace captured within the concrete frame of a hanging garden. The White’; blackbutt timber
use of concrete distinguishes the lower level’s grounded sensibility from the ceiling in Feast Watson oil
lightweight construction of the upstairs rooms, which are nestled beneath Windows and doors: New Guinea
the original gable roofs. The best vantage point from which to appreciate this rosewood frames with oil finish;
contrast is at the end of the garden, looking back at the house. The hanging Aneeta sashless windows with
black powdercoated frames
garden’s deep concrete beam extends from the north-eastern corner of the
Flooring: Concrete slab, light
timber cottage and then turns to the south to cradle the form of Alice and
grind and polish; Godfrey Hirst
James’s private retreat. The retreat, basking in a favourable aspect, oversees Elegant Reflections carpet in
the landscape below, veiled by a bespoke screen of angled battens. ‘Dark Shadow’and ‘Cold Mountain’
According to Leah, managing light and ventilation to the lower Lighting: Artemide Tolomeo
level was also critical to the project’s success. While garden-facing edges Decentrata suspension lamp
can be opened wide, two pivotal tactics have greatly enhanced the interior and Dioscuri wall lamps; Caribou
quality. First, the design team has placed a window over the kitchen bench, Rocket and Sneaky Black lights
which may initially seem unremarkable. Still, the opening was only allowable K tchen: Ace Stone and Tiles
Kitchen:
if designed with a fire curtain, as the southern wall was right on the boundary. Machiavelli granite benchtop and
While costly, the window is valued not only for ventilation but also for making Synonyms and Antonyms Wigwag
black tiles; blackbutt veneer joinery
the interior feel broader. Second, the architects cut away the floor of the former
in Feast Watson oil; Bosch oven,
dining room in the north-east corner of the cottage to form a void over the
dishwasher, cooktop and range-
sunken lounge. This void does more than just create a fun connection back hood; Samsung French-door
up to the cottage level; it balances the edge light, animating the rich range of refrigerator; Häfele kitchen bin;
dark tones and natural textures that describe the interior: off-form concrete AFA double-bowl sink; ABI Interiors
walls and a honed concrete floor, the warmth of blackbutt and rosewood Elysian pull-out kitchen mixer
timber linings, cabinetry and reveals, the iridescent glaze of textured tile Bathroom: Fibonacci Stone
and the captivating cross-section of satin-finished Machiavelli granite. Abstrakt terrazzo tiles; Caroma
A secondary palette of white and green is deployed in the bathrooms and Forma toilet and square wall-hung
utility spaces, further evoking both the garden and the traditional green basin; Milli Pure shower and
glass of the original cottage windows. Inside, the house does not ever feel mixer in gunmetal; Roca Duo
oppressive. Joinery and built-in seating keep the interior horizons low to the Plus oval bath
Heating and cooling: Hunter
eye, while the sunken lounge beneath the light void feels grand.
Pacific Concept 3 matt black fan
This renovation is remarkable for the clarity and conviction of its
External elements: Concrete
composition. Kin has maximized the benign natural qualities its location has with light acid etch; Austwide
to offer while maintaining the scale and enhancing the neighbourliness of the circle concrete pavers
original cottage in its context. It is robust and compact yet expansive and Other: Custom dining table;
yielding, making all the right moves to allow the young family to grow together Feelgood Designs Ellie chairs
in the decades to come. from Janie Collins Interiors

02 03
16 1 Entry 9 Storage
2 Sunken 10 Study
14 14
1 15 lounge 11 Family room
9 2 5 12 12 12 13 3 Kitchen 12 Bedroom
14
6 4 Dining 13 Void
1 5 Courtyard 14 Roof
12
4 10 11
3
6 Terrace garden
8 7
7 Pantry 15 Carport
8 Laundry 16 Bench seat
0 5m
Ground floor 1:400 First floor 1:400
88 TOOWONG RENOVATION
02 Blackbutt timber
cabinetry unifies the
kitchen and living
spaces and fosters
a feeling of warmth.
03 Grey terrazzo
tiles in the upstairs
bathroom accentuate
the original character
of the cottage.
04 A concrete frame
wraps around a
grassed courtyard,
doubling as a hanging
garden. Artwork:
Raelene Stevens.
04
Architect Project team Leah Gallagher, Marjorie

Kin Architects Dixon, Elena Ihl Builder Pagewood
+61 431 901 905 Projects Engineer Mac Structure Certifier
hello@kinarchitects.com.au Building Certification Group Hydraulic
0 5m
Section 1:400 kinarchitects.com.au engineer Neil Blair and Associates

N O R T H C OT E
T E R R AC E
BY LOVE LL
BURTON
ARC H IT ECTURE
01
90
02
HOUSES 142 91
Precisely tuned to frame and filter
natural light, this reworking of a
Melbourne terrace has realized
a family home that is both durable
and delightful.
Words by Marcus Baumgart

Photography by Rory Gardiner
As a young architectural practice, Lovell Burton has cut its teeth on houses
located primarily in rural settings. The commission for an alteration and
addition to a compact dwelling at the base of iconic Rucker’s Hill in the inner-
Melbourne suburb of Northcote marked a stark departure from the practice’s
rural work. And yet the design is nevertheless an exercise in site specificity,
proving that the team can apply their design sensibilities and approach to
sites in urban and ex-urban settings with equal success.
Northcote Terrace is fundamentally a modest home for a young couple,
their children and an enormous Bernese Mountain Dog. It is a contained,
delightful and durable house predicated on a highly responsive design that
reacts closely and effortlessly to both site and orientation. There remains in
the built results strong evidence of the initial sketches in the evolved design,
and it appears that the promise of those “first thoughts” has been achieved 01 The roof slopes
with considerable skill. down steeply to the
The adaptation of the terrace house is a familiar type of architectural south in order to
renovation. It is a staple of both young and mature architecture practices of minimize visual bulk.
all stripes, and a reliable testing ground for subtle and bold ideas alike, often
02 Three openings
efficiently realized in the inner suburbs of Australian cities. The renovation
in the roof draw in
market of the inner north of Melbourne has been a hotbed of architectural daylight and sun-
exploration for several decades, and this project is no exception. light at different
The existing house posed many typical challenges: a single-fronted times of day and
terrace with a heritage listing relating to the facade, and a long sequence year. Artwork:
of rooms extending into the site, terminating in the bathroom and laundry Kristin Headlam.
92 NORTHCOTE TERRACE
Northcote Terrace
is built on the land
of the Wurundjeri
4 3 2
people of the Melbourne, Alteration Family Site 180 m² Design 20 m
Kulin nation. Vic + Addition Floor 150 m² Build 12 m
in an ageing lean-to out the back, which cut off the living spaces in the middle Products
of the plan from the contained rear yard. The proposal was to turn the Roofing: Galvanized Enseam
plan inside out and connect new open-plan living spaces to the rear yard, from Lysaght
centralizing the services areas and vertical circulation while retaining the External walls: Galvanized Enseam
from Lysaght; recycled bricks
facade and the front two rooms.
Internal walls: Murobond Murowash
Those observations relate to the overall organization of the plan,
in ‘Raw Earth’ and ‘Sand 30 percent’
and in themselves they follow a conventional script of inner-urban terrace
(on recycled bricks); Dulux Wash
renovation. However, Northcote Terrace departs from convention in its and Wear in ‘Natural White’
consideration and realization of what practice director Joseph Lovell calls Windows: Viridian Lightbridge
the “third elevation”: the folding ceiling and upper volumes of the house, in ‘Clear’; AWS aluminium
punctuated by three “oculi” or openings. windows in ‘Natural Anodized’
The real precision lies in the modulation and manipulation of natural Doors: AWS aluminium doors
light, considered carefully in response to orientation and the different qualities in ‘Natural Anodized’; Designer
of daylight and direct sunlight at different times of day. The northern oculus, Doorware hardware in ‘Brushed
a high clerestory above the study mezzanine, provides an opening for the Stainless Steel’; Frits Jurgens
pivot hinges
penetration of full sunlight deep into the terrace plan in the middle of the day,
Flooring: Tongue n Groove oak
particularly in winter. It also provides a view of the upper branches of the high
floorboards in ‘Otta’; burnished
tree at the front of the house, a peaceful view that shifts with the changing light.
concrete with clear sealer; Halcyon
The second oculus is in the ceiling opening above the dining table, Lake carpet in ‘Kore 193 Haze’
which is south facing (on a roof sloping away from the northern sunlight). and rug in ‘Chromatic Seafoam’
This opening is battened and draws in the dramatic morning light from the Lighting: Masson for LightTullyspot
east, providing a different kind of sunlight character with lively texture and spotlight in ‘White’; Nelson Ball
striped shadows. Bubble Pendant from Herman
The third oculus is the western wall skylight above the joinery and Miller; Banks Lantern from The
kitchen, which casts a diffuse light down onto the wall of recycled bricks Society Inc; Flos Mini Glo-Ball
and the benchtop. Combined, these three different types of opening filter light wall lights
in different ways from morning to sunset, and the result is a large, open-plan Kitchen: Fisher and Paykel
appliances; Signorino terrazzo
living space that changes in character throughout the day like a finely
benchtop in ‘Bianco Neve’;
calibrated instrument.
European oak veneer joinery
The house is finished in durable materials inside and out (in with custom dark stain and Woca
consideration of the aforementioned hound), and a restrained, neutral palette. Diamond Oil matt sealer; Brodware
Joseph particularly likes the moment where the architecture meets the sky and City Stik tapware in ‘Brushed
describes to me a gradation of materiality, with darker finishes below and lighter Nickel’; Index and Co joinery pulls
materials above, bleeding the upper reaches of the house into the sky itself. in ‘Powdercoat Black’
This is a poetic idea, perceptibly accomplished in the finished house. Bathroom: Artedomus floor tile in
The skin of galvanized steel on the exterior, for example, was chosen to reflect ‘Urban Grey’; Earp Brothers wall
the sky and mimic the materials and textures of the gritty urban environment. tile in ‘Vintage London’; Signorino
This is a polite neighbour of a renovation – its considerate profile dips down terrazzo benchtop in ‘Bianco Neve’;
European oak veneer joinery
toward the rear yard, minimizing shadow impacts in its own rear yard, as well
with custom dark stain and Woca
as for neighbours to the east and west – yet it does not compromise its vision
Denmark Diamond Oil matt sealer;
or “borrow” its own materiality to fit harmoniously into its context. Brodware City Stik tapware in
Northcote Terrace is merely a taste of what Lovell Burton can do in ‘Brushed Nickel’
urban settings, proving that the site specificity and sensitivity to natural light Heating and cooling: Hydronic
that the practice has explored in its rural work translates convincingly into heating by Delonghi; Mitsubishi
different contexts. I look forward to seeing this young studio continue to explore airconditioning; Escea gas fire-
these ideas further in future urban projects. place from Woodpecker

03
5 4 3 2 2
6
0 5m
Ground floor 1:250
04
1 Entry 5 Living
2 Bedroom 6 Courtyard
3 Kitchen 7 Study
4 Dining 8 Terrace
03 Restrained and
durable, the material
palette is a canvas
for changing light.
7 2 8
04 The saw-
tooth roof form
is experienced in
First floor 1:250 the first-floor study.

05 06
0 5m
Section 1:250
05 A private terrace
is concealed behind
the parapet of the
existing brick facade.
06 Bathrooms are Architect Project team Joseph Lovell,

centrally located in Lovell Burton Architecture Stephanie Burton, Chloe Antonio,
the plan to maximize +61 411 241 968 Brad Mitchell Builder B. F. C. Built
connection to admin@lovellburton.com Engineer R. I. Brown Landscaping
the outdoors. lovellburton.com Bradnam and Co Landscapes
PICTURE IT
INSTANTLY
For more inspiration visit polyflor.com.au
8 designs now available Clean your

with acoustic backing MiPlank floor
A RT H U R
CIRCUS
BY C I R C A
MORRIS-NUNN
C H UA
01
98
02
HOUSES 142 99
03
1 Living
7
2 Bedroom
2 3 1 3 Kitchen
4 4 Linkway
5 Dining
1 5
6 6 Garden
courtyard
7 Rear entry
0 5m
Floor plan 1:400
100 ARTHUR CIRCUS

A spatial tardis, this surprising
and generous addition enlivens
an original Georgian cottage
in a tightly controlled Hobart
heritage precinct.
Words by Helen Norrie

Photography by Matt Sansom
As a site of early colonial settlement that has survived site to create a sense of generosity within a confined
intact over more than 200 years, Hobart’s Battery building envelope and very tight site constraints.
Point is one of the most closely monitored heritage Reversing the pattern of the earlier renovation,
sites in Tasmania. At the heart of the suburb is Arthur which added services under a low skillion roof at the
Circus, an arrangement of 16 cottages around a circular rear of the site, a new bathroom and kitchen have been
park, which is a rare Australian example of a planned organized within the two rear rooms of the original
“circus.” One of the first subdivisions in Australia, cottage. Demolishing the lean-to cleared space for a
the streetscape of modest cottages has remained new living room that is more than twice the size of any
in place since the 1850s, as grander mansions were of the spaces in the original cottage. Aligning this new
built on the streets of Battery Point beyond. While room with the geometry of the rear boundary produced
the tiny yet highly coveted cottages of Arthur Circus the only purely rectangular space in the building. It also
offer an optimum inner-city location, they also present facilitated the insertion of a glazed linkway, which draws 01 The openness
an incredible challenge to rework for contemporary light into the deep plan and creates a threshold between of the rear addition
living in a high-profile heritage context. old and new. This linkway connects to a lane on the contrasts with the
With a broad portfolio of excellent adaptive eastern side of the house, where a second entry provides compartmentalized
reuse and heritage projects, Circa Morris-Nunn direct access from the street into the living space. rooms of the cottage.
Chua welcomed the opportunity to adapt a cottage The design involved excavating the rear of
on the southern side of the circus. Modest in both the site by half a metre, achieving an increased ceiling 02 A play in floor
form and size, the original four-room brick cottage height for the living room addition while disguising levels maximizes
ceiling height
with a steeply pitched pyramidal roof was mostly its bulk from the street. The polished concrete floor of
and separates
unaltered from its original form, apart from a lean-to the linkway is two steps below the original floor level,
old from new.
extension added in 1989. The area’s strict heritage and two steps above the new floor level, increasing
controls limited possibilities for new works that the sense of separation and spatial sequence. In the 03 The minimal living
would be visible from the street. In his first role as living room, the design of the details was forensically area is separated
project architect, Matt Sansom was presented with examined to ensure that all services were disguised from the cottage
the puzzle of how to rework the 115-square-metre within the walls, eliminating the use of bulkheads and by a glazed linkway.

Arthur Circus is
built on the land
of the Muwinina
2 1 1
people of Hobart, Alteration + Couple Site 115 m² Design 18 m
Nipaluna. Tas Addition Floor 74 m² Build 6 m
surface protrusions so that the pure form of the gabled Products

space could be clearly expressed. The elegant simplicity Roofing: Custom Orb by
of the finished space belies the technical complexity of Lysaght in ‘Matt Monument’;
the detailing and construction process. Fielders Heritage Barrel Rolled
In contrast to the tight and dimly lit spaces galvanized roofing
External walls: Dincel formwork;
of the original cottage, the new living space is generous.
Blackbutt timber in Maddison
It is filled with daylight drawn in through the glazed
oil ‘Black Tint’
ceiling of the linkway, a large skylight over the dining Internal walls: Tasmanian oak
table and tall side windows at either end of the room. from Woodley and Co in Osmo
This natural light picks up the subtle variations in Polyx-Oil in ‘White’
the upcycled, low-grade Tasmanian oak lining, itself Windows: Blackbutt frames in
a complement to the imperfections of the original brick Maddison oil ‘Black Tint’ (external);
walls. To maximize space, some furniture is built in: Tasmanian oak from Woodley and
a small desk cantilevers off the wall and a leather Co in Osmo Polyx-Oil in ‘White’
couch is formed by extending the floor of the linkway Doors: Blackbutt frames in
Maddison oil ‘Black Tint’ (external);
over the sunken living space. An impressive vertical
Tasmanian oak veneer in matt poly-
wine cellar lines the rear of the space, filled with the
urethane; Tasmanian oak sliding
products of some of Tasmania’s finest winemakers. doors in Osmo Polyx-Oil in ‘White’
Bespoke furniture and fittings by Tasmanian designers Flooring: Tasmanian oak in Osmo
complement the spaces: a marble and steel dining Polyx-Oil in ‘White’ and ‘Matt’
table by Scott van Tuil, a pendant by Stuart Williams of Lighting: Spotlights and
Touching Space, and a ceramic basin in the bathroom downlights from Unios; dining
by Lindsey Wherrett. room pendant from Touching
The house is a spatial tardis, shifting from Space; Bernard Schottlander
compressed, compartmentalized spaces to the more Mantis wall lamp
open, light-filled addition. At the front of the house, Kitchen: Tasmanian oak veneer
joinery in ‘Black Japan’; Neff oven,
two small rooms remind the visitor of the scale of the
rangehood, induction cooktop and
original cottage. The cosy bedroom is barely bigger
integrated dishwasher; Liebherr
than the bed itself. Throughout the house, new joinery integrated refrigerator, freezer
and doors extend from floor to ceiling, providing a and coffee machine; Meir tapware
generosity of scale to the small rooms. In the centre of in ‘Matt Black’; 6mm mild steel
the house is a dark and shadowy kitchen. Two walls plate reveals in Protectaclear;
of black joinery are complemented by a shiny, faceted Porcelanosa Prisma tiles in silver
splashback that reflects light from the small side 04 Carefully placed Bathroom: Meir tapware in
window and provides a delightful sparkle to the room. windows and ‘Matt Black’; Margres Linea
This house is testament to the generosity skylights disguise Subway tile in ‘White’; Lindsey
the proximity of Wherrett Ceramics basin in
that has characterized the various iterations of Robert
neighbouring houses. ‘Lichen’; Tasmanian oak veneer
Morris-Nunn’s practice. He has continued to provide
joinery in ‘Matt polyurethane’
emerging architects with incredible opportunities, 05 The addition Heating and cooling: Shaker
and his faith in Matt Sansom has paid off handsomely, is unseen from the fireplace from Oblica; Escea
producing another delightful addition to the firm’s street, preserving single-sided gas fireplace
portfolio, and a wonderful home for their trusting the heritage setting Other: Dining table by
and adventurous clients. of Battery Point. Scott van Tuil
102 ARTHUR CIRCUS

04 05
0 5m
Sections 1:400
Architect Project team Robert Morris-Nunn, Ganche Chua, Matt Sansom

Circa Morris-Nunn Chua Builder Lane Group Engineer Aldanmark Consulting Engineers
+61 3 6236 9544 Surveyor Pitt and Sherry Heritage Consultant Praxis Environment
info@circamorrisnunn.com.au Planning consultant Kate Loveday Planning Consultant Garden design
circaarchitecture.com.au Botanic Resources Metalworker Walter Welding and Sheetmetal

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Call of Appealing to our escapist desires, this collection
of architect-designed camping shelters
the wild acknowledges the restorative effects of a retreat

into nature and pays tribute to the beauty of utility.
Words by Peter Salhani

SPOTLIGHT
PERMANENT
CAMPING II
by Casey Brown
Architecture
BUSH CAMP 1
by Richard Stampton
Architects
BROKEN CAMP
by Atelier Luke
01 Shelter is distilled to
elemental form in Bush
Camp 1 by Richard
01 Stampton Architects.
HOUSES 142 SPOTLIGHT 105

The call to nature is in us all. That yearning to be out copper and with side walls that swing open from the
of doors, reconnecting with our wilder selves, grows ground to create wide, covered verandahs to the north,
ever stronger the more we modernize and urbanize. east and west, has a tiny three-by-three-metre footprint.
It’s a paradox, then, that architects – makers of Located to the south are a water tank and
the built environment – should preoccupy themselves winches that operate the verandah roof. When not in
with retreats in nature. And yet they do, with a cultish use, the flaps are closed, protecting the timber-and-glass
obsession. In Australia, bush sites, rural fields and interior from the elements and bushfire. “Like a flower
coastal dunes are all favourite places for architects that opens during the day to enjoy the sun and closes
to test their ideas about utility of purpose and poetics at night to protect its delicate interior,” Rob explains.
of form on a somewhat miniature scale. “The original idea for PC I was to be a step up
Located in Berry on New South Wales’s south from camping, offering a comfortable bed, a fireplace
coast, Permanent Camping II (2020) by Sydney and a place to eat and enjoy nature, all in a small
architect Rob Brown of Casey Brown Architecture looks footprint structure that still protects you from the
out to the ocean from a hillside on Dharawal Country. elements. The second edition learns from the original,
It’s a long-awaited sequel to his Permanent Camping like a new series car: it takes the concept, then updates
(PC I),a tiny, corrugated, copper-clad Dalek sited stoically and upscales it,” Rob says.
on a sheep station in Mudgee in the state’s central west. Materials are similar – copper and ironbark –
Scaled to match a standing human, PC I’s and the same prefabrication method is used, but there
monastic frugality of space is held in exquisite tension are new amenities: a separate composting WC with
with a finely crafted interior of recycled ironbark that enclosed water tank, a gravity-fed outdoor shower, solar
includes a sleeping loft and a small kitchen with a slow- roof panels for an off-grid experience, and a lightning
combustion wood stove. conductor (just in case).
When completed in 2007, PC I sparked a Rob specializes in designing homes along
local renaissance in rustic architecture and was widely the Pacific edge and in rural regions. These homes are
published internationally, including in one of my all much larger than the PCs, but they arguably deliver
favourite books: Cabin Porn (2015). the same promise: a place in nature within a building
Both versions are conceived as a 1–2 person that’s curiously at odds with and yet comfortable in
retreat. The original, a two-storey tower, wrapped in the landscape.
02
106 CAMPING SHELTERS

02 Permanent
Camping II is
conceived as a
beautiful, finely
crafted retreat.
03 Winch-operated
panels open the
structure to the
landscape and
provide shade.
04 The interior of
recycled ironbark is
a warm and delicate
antidote to the
copper exterior.
03
02
04
PERMANENT Architect Project team Rob Brown, Location Photography

CAMPING II Casey Brown Architecture Antje Mahler Builder Smith and Berry, NSW Andrew Loiterton
+61 2 9360 7977 Primmer, Pip Smith, Jeffrey Permanent Camping II is built
cb@caseybrown.com.au Broadfield Engineer Cantilever on the land of the Wodi Wodi
caseybrown.com.au Consulting Engineers people of the Dharawal nation.

A different material approach has been taken by
Richard Stampton Architects in Bush Camp 1 (2016),
a more machined-looking set of steel structures on a
private site in the coastal town of Yanakie, on the edge
of Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria.
For traditional custodians of the land, including
the Gunaikurnai and Boon Wurrung peoples, this area
was a sacred meeting place. For the family who comm-
issioned Bush Camp 1, the site is a restorative place.
Richard’s camping structures elegantly solve
the perennial problem of a lumpy, soggy floor, with an
elevated sleeping platform of plywood on web-forged
steel, slung across a hollow, galvanized steel A-frame.
Side flaps of insulated polypropylene move up and
down for shelter.
His design influences include tents, obviously
– Richard is an experienced camper – as well as Peter
McIntyre’s Butterfly House (1955) in Kew, Victoria,
and Italian architects Archizoom’s unbuilt No-Stop
City (1969).
The finesse and strength of Bush Camp I
reflects a mastery of materials and geometry that
prevents Richard’s work from being pigeon-holed.
05 Before establishing his practice in Phillip Island, Richard
worked with Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris. A
current project in Yanakie is a “house” where circles of
rammed earth, like local rainwater tanks, are abstracted
into the landscape and incised with windows and doors.
“The clients’ brief is for a house that makes you connect
with the land through occupying it,” says Richard.
05 Bush Camp 1’s

lightweight camping
shelters have been
elevated to protect
the landscape setting.
06 A galvanized
steel frame supports
a plywood sleeping
platform and steel
grate deck.
07 The shelters are

pared back to simple
geometric forms
that emphasize their
06 impermanence.

07
BUSH CAMP 1 Architect Project team Richard Stampton, Location Photography

Richard Stampton Christy Bryar Builder Shakanda Yanakie, Vic Rory Gardiner
Architects Australia, S. J. Vuillermin Bush Camp 1 is built on the
richardstampton.com Master Builders Engineer land of the Boon Wurrung
info@richardstampton.com Perrett Simpson Stantin and Gunaikurnai peoples.

08
08 Broken Camp
is an open-sided
camping shelter that
also frames views
of the landscape.
09 The structure
is sited to take
advantage of
shelter and shade,
minimizing its bulk. 09

10 Wonga Shack is a
rudimentary, lock-up
cube that opens up
to allow occupation
to happen around it.
10
In the lush Byron Bay hinterland of northern New Far further north, in Queensland’s tropical
South Wales, traditionally Bundjalung Country, Broken Daintree, Melbourne architect Tim Sullivan (Sullivan
Camp (2020) by Atelier Luke is a picnic and camping and Charles) created a tiny fold-down lock-up
platform for a family living on a private rural property. shack on a small block on Wonga Beach – Kuku
The site sits among rolling hills, ridge lines and littoral Yalanji Country.
rainforest, so the pavilion is designed to both frame In school holidays, his family treks some
the views and be an object in the landscape. 3,000 kilometres north of their East Melbourne home08
Like Permanent Camping, its materials to the Wonga Shack, where they spend time fishing,
reference the local vernacular of steel and hardwood, swimming, dreaming and briefly living like nomads.
but Broken Camp differs in that it’s a permanently On a four-by-four-metre footprint, Tim has
open structure. squeezed a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, toilet and
Its sheltering frame is native spotted gum laundry into a cubic arrangement. Materials are basic:
with a thin cladding of weathering steel, like canvas fibre-cement sheeting, corrugated iron and, for the
stretched over tent poles. Its broad timber deck kitchen, formply. The cube was made and pre-assembled
terminates at either end in gathering points around in a Footscray factory, freighted by train to Cairns and
fire: a wood-fired oven at one end, a fire pit at the other. then trucked to the site.
Atelier Luke is architect Luke Hayward and “It’s a tiny building, but the space it radiates
interior designer Junko Nakatsuka. The couple works is huge, because living, dining and cooking essentially
between Australia and Japan, and some aspects happen outdoors. It’s pretty exciting to arrive, open
of Broken Camp are informed by one of Atelier Luke’s up the box and set up our temporary home,” Tim says.
domestic renovation projects in Kyoto – particularly As well as tapping into our escapist desires
the use of levels and the treatment of architecture with the promise of seclusion and retreat, each
as supersized furniture. Other influences, Luke says, of these small, highly considered structures asks
include “the formal simplicity and structural thinness us a much bigger question: “How much do we really
of tents, and the importance of resilience.” need to live?”
BROKEN Architect Project team Luke Hayward Location Photography

CAMP Atelier Luke Builder Twil Constructions Broken Head, NSW Michael Nicholson
+61 2 8091 4040 Carpenters Troy Wilkinson, Broken Camp is built on the
mail@atelierluke.com Caiden Fowler, Luke Streader, land of the Bundjalung people.
atelierluke.com Jared Foster

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112
Polly Harbison With a portfolio of singular and
sculptural houses, this small Sydney
studio distills complex ideas into an
Design elemental architecture that is entirely

devoid of trickery.
Words by Genevieve Lilley

IN PROFILE Photography by Brett Boardman
01
HOUSES 142 113

Many of us are familiar with the striking simplicity and for an alternate paradigm of good office culture, working
sculptural off-form concrete of Balmoral House in Sydney, sensible hours. Their work was calm and pragmatic, and they
a collaboration between Clinton Murray and Polly Harbison. got stuff built. After a couple of years, Polly stepped sideways
The house was lauded in the 2015 Australian Institute of to do her own thing.
Architects and Houses Awards for its robust forms, which She’d met architect Clinton Murray, who was then
were notably dissimilar to much of Clinton’s earlier coastal based in Merimbula, and had admired his method of working
residential work, predominantly in timber. alone while juggling family life. He was fiercely involved in all
Since then, Polly’s work has appeared with his sites (his brother did a lot of the buildings) – so much so
increasing regularity in the press and annual awards, with her that he struggled to do work out of the area. He eventually
Macmasters Beach House awarded in 2017, and Castlecrag asked Polly if she’d help by managing his Sydney projects.
and Lindfield houses recognized in 2020. Pearl Beach House Polly worked mostly on Clinton’s projects but set up her
was lauded with the Wilkinson Award for Residential own company, while having the first of her three children.
Architecture in New South Wales in 2021. Her quiet work The arrangement worked well: the two shared a similar
is singular, sculptural and absolutely devoid of trickery. pragmatism, sense of reality and determination to make
To understand how someone so young could beautiful, comfortable things.
have come so far in 20 years of work, one must track Polly’s By the time Polly’s third child was born, Clinton
mentors and influences. She graduated from the University had turned his attention to Melbourne projects and Polly
of Sydney in 1999 and, after some time off “to climb was preoccupied as the owner-builder for her own house.
mountains,” she was fortunate to join her former tutor Balmoral House (2014; see Houses 106) was their last big
Angelo Candalepas in his small studio, where she worked project together. Polly modestly says, “Clinton was kind
alongside David Boyle. Angelo had emerged from the intensity enough to call me the architect-in-collaboration on the
of large practice, and the small team agreed that they’d try project, which gave me the leg-up when it won lots of
02
114 POLLY HARBISON DESIGN

03
04
01 Polly Harbison is
the principal of Polly
Harbison Design.
02 The striking
sculptural form
of Balmoral House
(2014) was designed
in collaboration
with Clinton Murray.
Artwork: hammock
by Alexander Calder.
03 Four stacked
volumes negotiate
a sloping site, while
an open courtyard
shares sea views with
passers-by. Artwork:
Antony Gormley.
04 Balmoral House
juxtaposes solid
with void in response
to views, sunlight
and privacy.
HOUSES 142 IN PROFILE 115

05 The newly added
outdoor room at
Castlecrag (2019)
connects the house
to the garden.
06 Alterations to
the existing postwar
home reconfigured
a warren-like plan,
drawing light deep
into the house.
05
1 Entry
2 Dining
3 Living
4 Kitchen
10 2 3 7 8 5 Outdoor dining
6 Laundry
1
7 Outdoor living
9
8 Garden
11 4 2 5
9 Pool
10 Forecourt
6 11 Courtyard
0 5m
Castlecrag ground floor 1:400

awards.” The house is reduced to four volumes, stacked
and splayed on the sloping site, with a refined palette of
At Castlecrag, a fine
concrete, timber and brass forming gallery rooms for the
owners’ magnificent art collection. outdoor room with
Polly had also been experimenting with a number
of successful, if unlikely, interventions to other houses. an elegant, arched,
One, in Kareela, was a beautiful pavilion added to a modest
mid-century house. The addition’s temple-like terrace was off-form concrete
a precursor to a house in Castlecrag (2019). At Castlecrag,
the drawcard is a fine outdoor room, with an elegant, arched,
off-form concrete ceiling – inspired by Louis Kahn’s Kimbell
ceiling celebrates the
Art Museum – that celebrates the siting of the original
postwar house in its bushland setting. The rear facade of
siting of the original
fine, steel-framed windows is almost fully openable, and the
house almost disappears to become a discrete, sophisticated
postwar house in
shelter in rare inclement weather.
Before Castlecrag, Macmasters Beach House its bushland setting.
(2017; see Houses 117) had explored this “bare shelter”
model in a more modest, and less formal, way. A monastic
pavilion sits on a stone platform on a hilly, exposed site, an
almost invisible ground floor supporting a timber box above.
A seamless material transition between inside and out is
designed for small and typically sandy feet and furious
winds; the latter will soften the roughly textured concrete
and wood over time.
06

07
08
07 Macmasters
Beach House (2017)
is a pragmatic and
informal home that
is attuned to its
coastal setting.
08 A material
palette of concrete,
stone and timber will
age gracefully with
the passage of time
and of sandy feet.
09 At Lindfield House
(2019; interiors by
Arent and Pyke),
the house unfolds
as a sequence of
increasingly grand
spaces and garden
rooms. Photograph:
Anson Smart.

Lindfield House (2019; see Houses: Kitchens and
Bathrooms 16) mixes similar ideas of large-scale openings
with a magnificent long garden and fine art. The original
house had modestly scaled rooms, and Polly’s additions,
while not occupying a huge footprint, sequentially reveal
themselves as increasingly grand spaces and garden rooms.
Ceilings become higher, openings larger – there are gestures
such as thick walls, vibrantly coloured marble thresholds,
and a richness to foreground, middle ground and background
that resembles a Cézanne painting. The simplicity of the
finishes and details makes one acutely aware of the art
offerings – the line between art and gallery is blurred, as
(again) is the line between room and garden.
Pearl Beach House (2020) is a different beast in
some ways, almost buried in the bush like a concrete tower
among Burrawang scrubby woodland on the edge of a coastal
New South Wales village. The street boundary faces north
and the long, narrow site slopes up toward the rainforest and
ancient grass trees at the back of the block. Polly has therefore
positioned the primary living level on the first floor, a piano
nobile illuminated by a wide courtyard, sitting above lower-
level parking. The house was conceived on a low budget
yet with large intentions, so off-form concrete elements sit
judiciously alongside concrete block and other less expensive
elements to produce a monastic palette interspersed with
the rich texture of timber and flashes of ceramic colour.
09

The practice’s work remains largely residential,
although it is currently part of a team, led by FJMT, for the
twin towers project in Sydney’s CBD. The studio’s task is to
design one of the fine-grained buildings at the base, alongside
other small-scale practices including Trias and Aileen Sage.
Polly remains sanguine at the stop-start timetable of large
civic projects, and says the intermittent phasing enables her
to keep her practice to the ideal size of three.
As her practice has developed, Polly’s ideas have
been distilled: she is drawn to less area and fewer tricks, and
dreams of building small houses in beautiful places with high
design goals. She wants to spend the money only where it can
be seen, on visible details that “my kids and spouse would
understand.” She needs clients to want the result to be good
and so increasingly struggles to work for people who don’t
share her values or are preoccupied with grandeur – “when
the walk-in robe is bigger than my house,” as she puts it.
Polly Harbison Design now has projects in Kangaroo
Island in South Australia, and Mollymook and Bangalow
in New South Wales. The beautiful hand-drawn sketches for
these projects display a continuing preoccupation with the
blurring of links between inside and out, and with refining
a building to rich, simple components that remind one of
early Kahn houses, or Utzon’s dwellings. She is edging closer
to her dream, and we who watch are the beneficiaries of her
elemental approach.
pollyharbison.com.au
10
1 Carport 8 Dining
2 Entry 9 Kitchen
3 Laundry 10 Main
4 Bedroom bedroom
5 Outdoor shower 11 Outdoor living
6 Quiet living 12 Garden
7 Living 13 Barbecue
1
12 11
2 13
2 9
5 8
7
4
10 6
3 4
5
0 5m
Pearl Beach House ground floor 1:400 Pearl Beach House first floor 1:400

10 Pearl Beach House
(2020) realizes the
clients’ dream to
build a concrete
sculpture in the bush.
11 A vertical entry
sequence and
monastic colour
palette establish
a strong connection
to both bush and sky.
12 Living spaces on
the first floor open
onto an elevated,
sunlit courtyard.
11
12

Beddison Swift House As one of only a handful of houses completed
during the short-lived partnership between Neil
Clerehan and Guilford Bell, this understated
by Neil Clerehan residence, completed in 1963, is an intriguing

and enduring model for multigenerational living.
and Guilford Bell Words by Linda Cheng

Photography by Tom Ross
REVISITED
01
122 BEDDISON SWIFT HOUSE

Multigenerational living has, in recent years, been touted
as a solution for many of Australia’s housing issues, from
the affordability crisis to aged care. But this type of living
arrangement is nothing new. It is common practice in many
cultures for two or more generations to live together, and the
ubiquity of the granny flat would suggest that, in Australia,
it was once more common than it is now.
The three-generation Beddison/Swift family
may not have set out to create an architectural exemplar
of multigenerational living with their adjoining homes
in Melbourne’s leafy Ivanhoe, completed in 1962, but their
understated and unassuming house has endured, remaining
largely unchanged for more than half a century. The house
is also among very few designed by Guilford Bell and Neil
Clerehan – two powerhouses of mid-century domestic
architecture – during their short-lived partnership.
Located on a sloping block and sensitively placed
to avoid disturbing the site’s mature gums, the Beddison Swift
House consists of a single-storey dwelling at the front of
the block for the Beddisons, who were the grandparents
of the family, and a double-storey home further down the
slope for the Swifts and their young children. The dwellings
are each simple, rectilinear forms made of besser blocks that
recede quietly into the green landscape of Darebin Creek.
Gary Swift, who grew up in the house, remembers
that his parents and grandparents had pooled their financial
resources to purchase the land in order to build their
respective homes together.
“My parents’ original house was a Robin Boyd
house, designed and built at a time when Boyd was still a
young man,” he says. “They were very keen on mid-century
minimalist architecture and interior design, and their original
house was very much that.
“My mother was keen to employ Boyd again but
my grandmother, who was a force to be reckoned with, felt
that Robin Boyd was a bit too outrageous. The compromise
was someone who was of the same philosophy but perhaps
a little more restrained in their approach.”
How the families came to Guilford Bell and Neil
Clerehan’s practice is unknown. When the architects joined
forces in early 1962, Neil had just left his directorship of
the RVIA Small Homes Service. Len Hayball, who worked
01 The house consists

of rectilinear forms
that recede quietly
into the landscape.
HOUSES 142 REVISITED 123

02 In the kitchen, in their office as an architectural assistant, said the two
built-in flour bins architects tended to work independently and had their own
and chopping boards clients. “There was a distinct difference between the design
reveal Neil Clerehan’s of the two architects,” he says. The Beddison Swift House,
love for joinery details. in his recollection, “was mainly Neil’s work.” Indeed, Gary
remembers seeing Neil at the house on a regular basis.
03 A hatch located in Guilford’s influence can be detected in the front
a shared wall enabled facade of the Beddisons’ residence. Both bedrooms of the
the family to answer house look out onto the front garden and hence each was
one another’s phones fitted with full-height double French doors. Curiously,
or pass meals back the bathroom in the middle was also fitted with the same
and forth. French doors for the sake of symmetry. “Guilford had
a more Palladian interest in formal symmetry, [whereas]
04 Simple joinery Neil did not have the same formal approach,” Len recalls.
reveals the clients’ “They would talk about projects, but not a great deal.
desire for a restrained, I think they would [have] influenced each other.”
modernist aesthetic. The two homes, though joined together, allowed
each family to live separate, independent lives. “As children,
05 French doors my sister and I would spend time with our grandparents,”
in the bathroom Gary remembers. “It didn’t really feel like they were living
of the smaller with us, it felt like they were next door.
dwelling were fitted “There was a thing in the middle of the adjoining
to achieve symmetry wall, which got named ‘the hatch.’ There were doors on both
on the facade. sides so you could open the hatch from either building and
inside there were two telephone points so if anybody went
out the phone could be unplugged and moved into the hatch
and therefore it could be answered by either household.
“My grandfather passed away, ultimately, and my
grandmother lived on for many years. My mother would cook
meals and they would be put into the hatch and everybody
02 03

04
05

06

06 The two attach-
ed yet separate
dwellings are well
designed for multi-
generational living.
07 Bedrooms enjoy
a leafy outlook to
Darebin Creek.
08 Inside, the simple

and understated
house has remained
largely unchanged.
07
08

Floor plan (not to scale)
would migrate into my grandmother’s place to have dinner The Beddison Swift House may be one of
with her. We did that for a very long time. In terms of the earliest examples of an architect-designed multigen-
independence, I think it worked very, very well.” erational home. Coincidentally, in a nearby street is
The kitchens in the house also had curious devices, Robin Boyd’s seminal Featherston House, completed in
such as pull-out flour bins and cutting boards. According 1969, which also had an adjoining grandparents’ residence.
to Len, this highly detailed joinery was a particular interest The Featherston House today continues to be a multigen-
of Neil’s. erational home.
“Neil was quite influenced by Roy Grounds and While the Beddisons and Swifts no longer live
his houses and apartments of the 1940s – Grounds had in the house that they built together, a new family has
all sorts of interesting joinery devices and I think Neil was moved in who plan to join the two dwellings together
very impressed by that,” Len said. “He loved gadgets so he to create one larger house with minimal intervention –
was always designing gadgets into kitchens and bathrooms a testament to the longevity and flexibility of the design
wherever necessary.” from the two modernist masters.
Neil’s interest in joinery would have married well Guilford and Neil’s partnership fell apart two
with that of his clients. Gary’s grandfather was a trained years after they came together, in the same year that their
cabinet-maker who went on to manufacturer wooden ice- very first project in partnership, Simon House in Mount
cream sticks and spoons, and doctors’ tongue depressors. Eliza, won the prestigious Victorian Architecture Medal.
“I don’t think he was physically involved in the making of the One can only speculate about what the two could have
fitout,” Gary says, “but I suspect he was of some influence. produced together had their partnership endured as well
A lot of their furniture was his own work.” as even some of their more understated works.

09 The siting of the
house was carefully
planned around
established gum trees.
09

01 02
Endangered A Sydney exhibition by ceramicist Natalie Rosin

explored the fate of 11 of Australia’s “endangered
and extinct or extinct” buildings, posing questions

about the fragility of the built environment.
EXHIBITION Words by Penny Craswell

Photography by Natalie Rosin
If buildings were celebrities, then Sirius would have apartment buildings in Sydney’s Waterloo that are
been the star of ceramicist Natalie Rosin’s exhibition, slated for destruction as part of the development of
Endangered and Extinct: Australian Architecture and a new precinct. Another building represented, still in
Place-taking. The brutalist social housing apartment operation and awaiting demolition, was the Greenmount
block, designed by Tao Gofers in 1979, was the subject of Beach Hotel in the Gold Coast, a brutalist building that won
a controversial decision in 2015 by the New South Wales one of the first Gold Coast Architecture Awards in 1981.
government to sell the building, thereby displacing the Clay representations of two buildings planned
community that called it home. A public outcry led by for demolition that have recently had new plans released
architects, activists and local politicians followed and for their refurbishment and renovation were included:
the building was saved from the wrecking ball, only to be the brutalist former TAB Building in Brisbane, designed
converted into luxury apartments, totally contrary to the by Geoffrey Pie in conjunction with Hall Phillips and
original ethos of the building. It was the fate of buildings such Wilson Architects, and the Neville Gruzman-designed
as Sirius – buildings that have elicited affection, controversy Gaden House in Sydney, whose stunning concrete
and public support yet whose architectural and heritage spiral stair will be retained. One more depicted a project
status have been ignored by governments and developers has been partially demolished and partially kept – the
– that was the subject of Natalie’s exhibition. Cameron Offices in Canberra designed by John Andrews.
Natalie trained as an architect and worked in The five remaining pieces were based on buildings that
various architecture studios before launching her full-time are long gone.
ceramics practice. In Endangered and Extinct, she created Three of the artworks had been made twice,
clay models of 11 buildings in Australia that are either with one version kept whole and the other smashed, its
under threat of demolition or have been partially or fully pieces collected and displayed in glass vessels to symbolize
demolished. The sub-title of the exhibition – Australian the loss and destruction of architectural buildings – there
Architecture and Place-taking – was a play on the word was even a video of the works being smashed that was
placemaking, emphasizing the role of demolition in the act shown in the gallery space. With this exhibition, Natalie
of “taking”. These were not architectural models but rather Rosin combined her two passions – architecture and clay
sculptures whose architecture has been simplified in white – to great effect, but it was her research that stood out
clay, creating a kind of totem – a loving homage to the most, resulting in a passionate statement about how we
buildings in question. The lack of detail and the homogenous treat our buildings and the importance of retaining our 01 The Sirius, ceramic
nature of the white clay brought home the distinctive form of architectural heritage into the future. (white grog raku).
these buildings, many of which were instantly recognizable. Endangered and Extinct: Australian Architecture and
Each of the selected buildings told a unique story Place-taking by Natalie Rosin was exhibited at the Australian 02 Sydney Convention
of demolition. In addition to Sirius, the exhibition included Design Centre, Sydney from 20 May to 31 July 2021. Centre, ceramic
sculptures of Matavai and Turanga, twin 30-storey brutalist natalie-rosin.com (white grog raku).
130 POSTSCRIPT
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Australian Residential Architecture and Design

The texture is reminiscent of fine render

From the Editor 12

105 113 122

HOUSES 142 AT A GLANCE 09

Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition

Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition Alteration + Addition

There’s no denying that small spaces 01 How might residential design

BK10 bath mixer with hand shower,

Print management Subscriptions

Casey Bryant is a Genevieve Lilley is

Immerse yourself at laminex.com.au

Finds from a light and whimsical bird feeder

Find more residential products:

HOUSES 142 FRESH FINDS 17

26 LONG ROAD HOUSE

Words by Andrew Leach

HOUSES 142 NEW HOUSE 27

These two wings, capped with elegant gable Products

28 LONG ROAD HOUSE

HOUSES 142 NEW HOUSE 29

06 Tiled walls and a

30 LONG ROAD HOUSE

Architect Project team

HOUSES 142 NEW HOUSE 31

Words by Casey Bryant

At some point in time, in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville, half a house

34 MARRICKVILLE HALF HOUSE

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 35

1 Driveway 7 Music room

36 MARRICKVILLE HALF HOUSE

04 The line of the

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 37

38 MARRICKVILLE HALF HOUSE

Architect Project team Amelia Holliday, Mitchell Bonus,

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 39

Words by Alexa Kempton

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 43

04 Locally sourced Architect Project team Nick James,

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 45

OWNERS considerate addition to their house, and

WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT Photography by Tom Ross

Alexa Kempton What were you looking for

AK What was your initial brief?

AK How did you find the process of working

HOUSES 142 WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT 47

Why Miele? design and intuitive technology

With a reputation for crafting appliances that surpass

For more information about

*Discover more about Miele’s

HOUSES 142 MIELE SHOWCASE 49

George and his desire not to take himself

Words by Chloe Naughton

03 Despite its narrow

HOUSES 142 ONE TO WATCH 51

Words by Josh Harris 04

Words by Tobias Horrocks

Sometimes the construction work of a previous owner offers “gifts” to a

“You’re not necessarily expecting to enter into an open space,” Products

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 57

HOUSES 142 ALTERATION + ADDITION 59

Architect Project team Patrick Kennedy,