A modern industrial feel permeates the new extension of this house, which has simple but striking design features.
4 September 2017
Home Type: Landed property in Victoria, Australia
Text by Ella McDougall
Photography by Willem-Dirk du Toit
This quiet family home in Thornbury, Victoria was renovated by Foomann Architects. It was expanded based on the owners’ desire to create a “forever family home”.
With three young kids, an iguana and a cat, it was time to establish a space that would become a fundamental part of their lives and the lives of their children. A place that would endure the years – and changes – to come.
The home was designed to be no bigger than necessary, avoiding any unnecessary wastage. Clever spatial design ensures that the interiors feel generous and connected to the surrounding greenery.
While the historical integrity of the house is retained, the palette of texture-focused materials gives the premises a fresh, modern and deconstructed appeal.
Polished concrete flooring suggests an industrial tone while augmenting sunlight throughout the inside spaces. Wood ceiling panels were chosen for their acoustic properties and painted recycled bricks offer added interest to the wall surfaces. Exposed timber columns and beams support the new part of the house, also adding character to the interiors.
Simple interior structures, such as display shelving, bookshelves and a desk, were created out of lines and planes.
Besides echoing the clean-cut structural aesthetics of the extension, they function as dividers to zone the open-concept space and create focal points.
The house needed to be bigger, to nurture the growing family, while maintaining the outdoor gardens and courtyard.
The new extension also aided in concealing the side apartment blocks from the house, creating a family home that is comfortable and private.
The traditional frontage of the house is maintained while the new side addition creates an entrance that guides guests to the living spaces without having to move past the bedrooms in the old part of the house and disturb young sleeping bodies.
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