Life Down A Lane

Life Down A Lane is exactly that: a home for the daily life of a family, strengthened by security and softened by greenery, in the inner-urban heartland of Richmond.

The brief was for a contemporary family home with efficient, functional spaces, including outdoor space for entertaining and play for a family of four, including a garage that could double as a flexible space. All of this was to be created on a vacant site in the back streets of Richmond with access via a lane.

Surrounded on all sides by neighbours, the lane required careful consideration of privacy. From the outside, the form is robust, predominantly solid and slightly defensive. Once inside, however, it opens up to a central courtyard, which is the home's focal point, with spaces configured to look inward.

The floorplan elevates the living-dining-kitchen area to achieve more sunlight and privacy. Living spaces are on the first floor, while the ground is dedicated to bedrooms –– a master with an ensuite and two child bedrooms with a shared bathroom –– with the courtyard as a buffer between these two zones. Large, full-width pivot doors allow the courtyard to flow through the full depth of the site.

In the kitchen, a sculpted solid marble island bench is the focal point, with space for food preparation and social gathering. The marble is offset by timber veneer joinery with a hidden pantry and bar set behind fluted glass doors.

The living space is treated simply with minimal joinery and materials. Compact bathrooms are calm and restrained with a soft grey terrazzo adding subtle texture to the palette, offset with a white feature tile and indirect lighting.

In contrast to the monochromatic external palette, the interiors are composed of calming, lighter tones. White painted brick and polished concrete floors provide a subtle texture and solidity in the bedrooms, where a sense of security is important. At the same time, upstairs the finishes are warmer with timber veneer joinery and floors. A popped ceiling, roof lantern and clerestory windows flood these communal family spaces with additional sunlight.

A dramatic full-height window here on the east also allows views of the laneway and treetops of surrounding gardens. Outlooks onto the lane from the dining space are framed by a double-height metal shroud and a planter box, allowing views outwards but controlling views looking in.

Life Down A Lane is both efficiently planned and unexpectedly open. Providing a refuge from the urban environment outside, the house provides security and space for home life to grow.