Renovating a semi-detached, single-fronted Edwardian terrace house always poses a unique set of challenges.  The sites are often long and narrow with a shared party wall on one side and an existing house that can be over 100 years old.  The main challenge is always how to create modern, flexible, light-filled spaces with limited site access and a tight budget.

With the Brunswick Rd house, we designed the extension to be built to the boundary on both sides with high ceilings, light internal materials, and strategically placed skylights to bring the light in from above.  We also designed the cabinetry to be customised to the client’s needs so that everything had a place and how each space was to be used was carefully considered.  The kitchen and dining areas also completely open up to the backyard, extending the feeling of space to the north.

The external view from the backyard was designed to showcase the clean, rectilinear lines of the first-floor extension with fine perimeter detailing, and the vertical batten cladding providing visual depth and transparency to the façade.  The steel box around the window provides shelter, shading, and privacy to the upstairs windows.

The materials were carefully chosen to provide texture and variety to give each element and room its' own individuality, in particular with the selection of flooring, wall tiles, and joinery finishes.

Photography: Tatjana Plitt Photography