A complete rebuild of this special character Freemans Bay villa was carried out over the course of 17 months with heavy council related delays. A tight narrow site, and heritage restrictions required the existing house to be removed and placed in storage while the team carried out a modern extension at the rear of the property, and two-car garage and laundry basement below.

The white part of the home is the original villa, and the black part is the modern extension, separated by the high stud internal access stairwell and powder room with skylights which meet at the apex of the roof giving this house generous amounts of natural light, and a feeling of large open space despite it's small size.

Our favourite part of this home is the feature skylight and ceiling detail in the main living and kitchen area. John Irving's clever way of letting light through the structure of a skillion roof. The cedar slats have larger gaps than the rest of the ceiling in this area to give a feeling of continuity, but creates the much needed function of a skylight.

The interior, kitchen design, and furnishings of this home are beautifully appointed by Rufus Knight and his team.

Garden and landscape design by Jared Lockhart.

Architect: Studio John Irving Architects

Photography: Jeremy Hooper

interior: Rufus Knight

Landscape: Jared Lockhart

Location: Freeman's Bay