Houzz Tour: A Contemporary Australian Home With a Hidden Surprise
A previously cramped home in Melbourne embraces a more functional layout through the addition of a visually striking cube
Nest Architects director Emilio Fuscaldo and his colleague, architect Imogen Pullar, came up with an innovative idea to transform a dingy, cramped worker’s cottage for a Melbourne family with a plywood-clad ‘pod’ in the heart of the living area. By using the pod structure to facilitate a more functional layout, the home is now light, open and in tune with the demands of the family’s lifestyle.
The project involved the demolition of the shoddy 1980s extension, the addition of several square metres of floor space, and a ‘clean slate’ approach to the layout and decor.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Josh Barton, a lawyer, and Sarah McIntosh, a consultant, and their two young children
Where Melbourne, Australia
Size 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Construction TCM Building Group
Architects Nest Architects
Designer’s comment Emilio applauds ‘how brave the client was in embracing the design we put forward. They had to trust us.’
The project involved the demolition of the shoddy 1980s extension, the addition of several square metres of floor space, and a ‘clean slate’ approach to the layout and decor.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Josh Barton, a lawyer, and Sarah McIntosh, a consultant, and their two young children
Where Melbourne, Australia
Size 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Construction TCM Building Group
Architects Nest Architects
Designer’s comment Emilio applauds ‘how brave the client was in embracing the design we put forward. They had to trust us.’
The pod is an architecturally intriguing structure visible from all angles of the living spaces. This picture shows how it separates the children’s play spot and the living/dining areas and allows access to the rear of the house down both sides. The pod enables traffic circulation around both sides.
The pod appears to ‘float’ a couple of centimetres from the floor and ceiling because of a black ‘shadow-line’ edge. The rectangular shape is broken up with panels defined by similar shadow-line grooves and the pale blonde tones prevent the square construction from appearing too solid.
Pod finish in Crystal Clear polyurethane, Cabot.
The pod appears to ‘float’ a couple of centimetres from the floor and ceiling because of a black ‘shadow-line’ edge. The rectangular shape is broken up with panels defined by similar shadow-line grooves and the pale blonde tones prevent the square construction from appearing too solid.
Pod finish in Crystal Clear polyurethane, Cabot.
The galley kitchen runs down one side and accesses the pantry within the pod. Horizontal rows of black and white metro tiles, with gunmetal grey grouting, pick up the linear accents on the plywood panels. The worktop is polished concrete, and flooring throughout the house, apart from the front hallway and bedrooms, is polished concrete with exposed aggregate. A compact utility room is located behind cabinet doors beside the kitchen.
Tiles, Waringa UK in ‘White Gloss’ and ‘Black Gloss’ from Johnson Tiles.
Tiles, Waringa UK in ‘White Gloss’ and ‘Black Gloss’ from Johnson Tiles.
On the other side of the pod, the corridor allows access to the bathroom and cloakroom through sliding doors. The black and white kitchen tiling is repeated in these rooms.
Flat roof skylights direct light into the interior of the pod while ventilation is ducted through the ceiling and roof to the exterior.
Browse more black and white bathroom schemes
Flat roof skylights direct light into the interior of the pod while ventilation is ducted through the ceiling and roof to the exterior.
Browse more black and white bathroom schemes
The tidy clean-cut design of the house is complemented by a restrained approach to the decor – furniture with a fresh Scandinavian feel and light paint finishes that enhance the plywood. The pine tones of the pod and cabinetry are an effective foil to the white Thonet No 18 bentwood chairs and painted dining table with ‘dipped’ legs.
The sofa, armchair and ottoman, all in soft pastels, channel retro 1950s Scandi style, inspired by the designs of George Nelson and Florence Knoll. They are made in Melbourne, from Angelucci 20th Century.
Check out more on retro style
Check out more on retro style
Open shelving and generously deep drawers in the living/dining space continue the plywood theme in the simple and unobtrusive cabinetry. White walls throughout emphasise the unique tones of the ply.
Paint, ‘Natural White’ from Dulux.
Paint, ‘Natural White’ from Dulux.
The feeling of spaciousness has been amplified by the simplicity of the decor. The ‘Touch’ metallic pendant light over the table is by Ross Gardam. The single glass version hangs over the concrete worktop.
The ‘big picture’ of the pod placement can be seen from the rear of the house. Where the extension stood is now an open living/dining area. A large steel-framed door to the terrace was installed, with a small entrance on one side. ‘The door opens up the whole space,’ says Emilio. ‘It gives instant connection with the terrace from the living/dining area and you see glimpses of the outdoors down both sides of the pod.’ The area is paved in honed natural Bluestone and circular concrete paving stones set in the lawn lead down the side of the house.
Chaise A sidechair and Tabouret stool in Red, both Tolix.
Chaise A sidechair and Tabouret stool in Red, both Tolix.
The north-facing terrace is now a source of light and sunshine, visually connected to the interior whether the door is open or closed. It provides pleasant private space for outdoor entertaining and an additional play area for the children. A recessed crank-handled awning makes it usable on wet days.
Many homes in North Fitzroy (a suburb in Melbourne) are pretty close together, says Emilio, and this one is cheek-by-jowl with neighbouring properties. Privacy has been maintained with a high timber fence on one side and a Boston ivy-covered brick wall on the other.
Many homes in North Fitzroy (a suburb in Melbourne) are pretty close together, says Emilio, and this one is cheek-by-jowl with neighbouring properties. Privacy has been maintained with a high timber fence on one side and a Boston ivy-covered brick wall on the other.
An oversized window looks onto lush ivy growing on the brick boundary wall and is another way the renovation has connected the living/dining spaces seamlessly with the outdoors. A bench in silvertop ash (Eucalyptus sieberi) runs the length of the window. ‘This is our favourite part of the house,’ says Emilio. ‘In summer, the dark green foliage keeps the space cool and shady, and in winter, the bricks absorb warmth from the sun and reflect it back into the house.’
From the modest brick frontage typical of North Fitzroy’s early 1900s worker’s cottages, a passer-by would never guess the fresh and contemporary home behind it. Building regulations prevented changes to the facade, and the owners were happy to preserve its charming character anyway.
There were some features in the bedrooms that the owners wanted to keep: a small brick fireplace in the front bedroom and a pretty plaster ceiling rose. ‘It had to be very carefully removed so we could relocate it in the third bedroom,’ says Emilio.
The two original bedrooms at the front of the house were retained and a third created from an existing living area. Prior to this project, the owners had done minor renovations in this area, laying stained Victorian hardwood flooring in the entrance hall and freshening up an original white timber fretwork arch.
Once the bedrooms are closed off by a wide sliding door, two corridors branch off down each side of the 4 x 2.8 metre pod, which is integral to the home’s neat new functionality. It contains the main bathroom, cloakroom and pantry.
TELL US…
What do you think of this intriguingly-designed Australian home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this intriguingly-designed Australian home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Emilio comments on the task in hand: ‘The site was not extensive at 265 square metres, and the rear section was a dodgy home-renovated nightmare, damp, cold and possum-infested. The layout was dated and there were structural issues with its stability.’