South Yarra Void House

Who Andrea + David, a busy professional couple downsizing from a larger family home What they wanted To convert and upgrade their student rental property into a residence for themselves with provision to house their adult children in the short term. Project An alteration and minor addition to an elegant heritage protected single storey double fronted Victorian home which already had a solid but uninspiring and tired 1970’s double storey extension. Size Site: 337m2 / Floor Area: 207m2 = 201m2 (existing) + 6m2 (addition) Overview En route to becoming empty nesters, the clients owned an elegant double fronted single storey Victorian home which already had a solid but uninspiring and tired 1970’s solid brick rear extension. They required an upgrade to the residence to house themselves with provision to house their adult children in the short term. One of the owners was also looking for a small space to work from home that would be more than just a converted bedroom with a poor outlook or a residual space tucked underneath or beside the stairs. A number of strategic alterations and a tiny side extension were proposed. A key move was to remove an upper level bedroom to create a double height dining space below. This new focal point for the home has created drama amongst the relatively modest ceiling heights of the old addition and also opened the living areas to the sky and the trees of the rear yard and surrounding properties. It also unearthed a delightful work space beautifully positioned above the kitchen with a view through this void and garden and into the neighbouring treetops and sky beyond. Additionally, new windows and other metal elements were inserted into the building fabric of the existing rear addition to enliven the spaces. As with the building, as much of the existing was retained as possible when considering the new landscaping throughout the property. Key Themes: Downsizing The owners were progressing towards becoming empty nesters who were downsizing which meant that the house could also downsize. This enabled the focus of the project to be on quality rather than quantity of space. The removal of an upper level bedroom actually decreased the floor area but provided a huge improvement by creating a focal point for the rear of the house and variety amongst the existing internal spaces. It also opened the rear living spaces to the neighbouring trees and sky. Strategic Upgrade Although some structural works were undertaken, these were avoided unless absolutely necessary. All of the new windows replaced poorly performing existing windows: No new external openings were provided. This enabled the focus to be on upgrading the quality of the finishes and fit out of the internal spaces. Work Space One of the clients required a small space to work from home but wished it to be more than just a converted bedroom with a poor outlook or a residual space tucked underneath or beside the stairs. The creation of the void space unearthed a delightful work space beautifully positioned above the kitchen with a view through this void and garden and into the neighbouring treetops and sky beyond. Environmental Performance All windows in the old addition were replaced with replaced wth double glazed windows with low e coating with new insulation throughout walls and roof. Spatial Relationships Typically the size of spaces should increase within a home as one moves to the general living spaces from non-habitable or more private spaces such as bathrooms and bedrooms. This did not happen with the existing house as the ceiling heights in the rear extension were substantially lower than those at the front of the house within the original Victorian part. This felt awkward. This was remedied through the removal of the upper level bedroom to create the double height above the Dining room. It provided relief amongst, and distinction between, the adjacent lower ceiling spaces of the kitchen and living area. It also created connection to the upper level, in particular the study and landing spaces. Photography: Tatjana Plitt Art: Supplied by owner Dining Light: Kepler pendant lamp by Ariho Miyake