The brief for this fabulously located double-fronted Victorian home in Fitzroy was to reinstate the original home's character while breathing new life (earthy sophistication) into a dated two-storey extension. Two master bedrooms – a first floor bedroom requiring a new deck and views to Fitzroy Town Hall and a generous ground floor bedroom – were needed for longevity. The design approach was to inject calmness, beauty and flow into the home by removing busyness (bulkheads, uneven ceiling heights, angles, shiny surfaces) and enhancing connectivity through expanding key external openings (kitchen/living room/GF bedroom), installing open tread stairs and softening the transition from old to new with carefully considered reconfigurations and joinery.

The reinstatement of Victorian detailing sets the scene as you enter, with a dark, narrow, street-facing room becoming a functional, intimate, future master bedroom by framing the street outlook with an open walk-in dressing room. The bed is set back to the north, giving a sense of privacy and access to the lush alcove through new doors, while the bathroom and bedroom doors are realigned (moving the laundry from the bathroom and giving it hallway access through bi-fold doors) so that the bathroom acts as an ensuite. New timber-framed reeded-glass doors into a once dark study transform the narrow hallway, channelling the home's original charm but with contemporary flare that signals what's to come. As you enter the kitchen, the richness of the full height oak joinery is anchored by the solid block form of the quartzite bench and off-white, overhead cabinetry. An awkward step-down between the kitchen/living area is removed by encasing it with oak joinery that simultaneously provides shelving/storage to the living area and banquette seating to the kitchen. Walls here are creamy and textured, with plaster removed and brick exposed, bagged and painted to match the wall colour. The colours and textures pair beautifully with the new thermally broken steel doors (replacing chunky single-glazed aluminium profiles throughout), with the living room doors widened to form a glazed north-eastern corner.

Both internally and externally, the palette is kept soft and understated to encourage interaction with Ian Barker's beautiful garden and the outdoor landscape at large. Both the bathroom and ensuite palettes link to external elements, with the downstairs palette of green and warm-white hues connecting with the lush adjoining alcove whereas the upstairs ensuite emulates sky views with blue/grey/white hues and a powder-coated steel door. American Oak is the common thread, establishing continuity and linking the old with the new.

We were fortunate that our clients had photos of the original 1970s extension showing that sections of the double-height, yellow-rendered walls were in fact double brick. This informed the exterior palette and all brick sections (original front and 1970s extension) were exposed and bagged with a creamy pigment, blending with the palette internally. The non-brick sections of the extension were clad over with blackbutt battens, providing both an aesthetic and a thermal function. Large battened shutters also reduce direct northern sunlight into the upstairs study, which can be opened up but integrate seamlessly with the cladding when closed. The same cladding wraps around the new deck off the upstairs master bedroom – overlooking the city, Saint Mark's spire and the Fitzroy Town Hall. The overall result makes the extension feel considered and permanent, sitting happily behind the victorian frontage.​

Our wonderful clients wanted a home that would serve them well for many years to come, and so far their inner-city sanctuary is proving calming, functional and proportional, offering a serene backdrop for daily life.

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Builder/Joiner, Noy Builders.

Steel windows by Steel Windows Australia.​
Landscaping by Ian Barker Gardens.

Drafting by Griffin Building Design & Drafting.

​Ceramics supplied by Pepite – ceramic vessels by Emily Ellis, Tessy King, FDO Studio and Pauline Meade and large ceramic figurative sculpture by Stephanie Phillips

Dining table ceramic vessel by Anna Skermer of Pipkorn Kilpatrick.

Artworks by Julz Beresford, Nicolas Harding, Eileen Napaltjarri from Papunya Tula Artists, Stacey McCall, Kir Larwill and Diya Sanat. ​

Photography by Martina Gemmola.

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