Richardson St House, Middle Park

Located on a long and narrow site in the bayside suburb of Middle Park, this project sought to renovate and restore a single fronted Victorian terrace and provide a spacious, light filled modern extension to the rear. Due to the heritage grading of the existing building and its’ streetscape, the new works were designed to minimise it’s visibility from the front by setting the rear extension well back from the street.

Our approach was to retain the front hallway and two bedrooms which leads to a central feature stair and light court that brings natural light and a sense of space to the centre of the site. This leads into the new kitchen, dining and living area at the rear which can be opened up via steel bi-fold doors to the courtyard at the rear. By designing the main family space with high ceilings, skylights and spanning the full width of the site, the sense of space and light in this room is unexpected from such a narrow site.

The central feature stairs takes you to the first floor, which houses the master bedroom, WIR and ensuite, plus an additional bedroom and shared family bathroom. To the rear of the site there is a double garage with a self-contained studio above which also acts as a double-height vertical garden which creates a unique backdrop to the rear courtyard.

A subtle, tactile palette of materials were chosen for the interiors to add warmth and texture to each space with an emphasis on natural timbers and neutral colours, punctuated with black highlights such as pendant lights, finger recesses and shelving items.