Purchasing a ‘grand but grim old lady’ in Taroona, our clients for this project were retiring to Hobart and bringing with them their self-proclaimed shabby-chic aesthetic. Their desire was for minimal modernist interventions that introduced the 1950’s house to the 21st Century.

The house was of a good size, but solar exposure was lacking. Simple gestures such as dark stained timber window boxes playfully juxtaposed against the quaint original house, in conjunction with reconfiguring of the internal spaces added light and volume to the interior and exposed the occupants to views across the garden.

Opening up the existing attic space created a voluminous double height kitchen and dining area transforming a once enclosed dark space.

Glazed panels to the loft space above provide light to this area and make the perfect sleep-out zone for grandchildren.

Photographer: Peter Mathew