"We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness... ...were it not for the shadows, there would be no beauty."
- Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows

Our Hutchinson Street project preserves an original Victorian home, extended upon with a prefab addition.

Inverting the australian trend for light, bright homes, this project embraces a japanese wabi design philosophy explored through the lens of jun’ichiro tanizki’s book ‘in praise of shadows’ where large eaves and internal courtyards provide the home with a soft, more diffuse light that gently track the sun’s movements throughout the day.

The original double-fronted Victorian rooms were preserved and thoroughly insulated, with windows and doors updated to create a traditional facade. The installation of recycled floorboards flows through to the extension, allowing for a graceful interior transition from the old to the new.

The extension is a black cedar box, with a warm timber window and slatted cypress verandah, framed by a lush tropical garden. The original house is painted with a complimentary dark exterior, allowing the architectural forms to recede as a backdrop for the garden.

A calm balancing of recycled timbers with Japanese tiles and granite benchtops, this home is an expression of humble luxury.

• ELEMENTS WOOD/ METAL/ STONE/ WATER
• COLOUR BROWN/ BLUE/ BLACK
• TYPE HOMES

• LOCATION BRUNSWICK EAST, VICTORIA
• YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 2016
• DESIGN TEAM: KIM KNEIPP
• BUILDER: ARKIT PREFAB ARCHITECTURE
• JOINERY: WOODCRAFT MOBILIAR
• PHOTOGRAPHER: LISA COHEN