Paddington Corner Terrace

The Paddington Corner House, set within a conservation area, is an example of our ongoing revitalisation of the 19th-century inner city terrace – a type of housing that has many positive attributes, but is unsuited, in a number of ways, to our lifestyle and climate. While solid and functional, offering a high quality of accommodation and occupying far less space than the average Australian house, their rooms are often dark, and their layouts inefficient, with little relationship between inside and outside.

The client’s brief was to convert a dilapidated 1880s corner terrace – originally a bakehouse – into an open plan four-bedroom family home. They wanted separate formal and informal living spaces, a media room, two-car garage and, in a densely populated part of the city, a degree of privacy for the growing family.

Through consultation with a heritage consultant, we retained the original part of the terrace, and demolished a rear building, which was a poor later addition. We opened up the front of the house, which now contains the quieter, more formal areas – a living space, main bedroom and, in a previously damp basement, a media room. To bring light into what were once dark spaces, a new steel and timber staircase connecting the three levels was essentially turned into a lightwell, with skylight overhead, and three-storey bookcase.

An informal living area and guest rooms are located in the new wing at the rear of the site for privacy, connected to the original house by the kitchen and an elevated verandah.

Lightweight materials and contemporary detailing distinguish the new addition from the late Victorian terrace. At ground level, all living spaces open to the courtyard garden, which becomes a connecting outdoor room, bringing daylight into the centre of the house and creating rich, layered views between formal and informal spaces. Landscaping has been designed to provide privacy from the apartments overlooking the adjoining laneway.

Sensitive to its surroundings, our design optimises modern urban living in a house that is light, open and flexible, with moments of unexpected delight.