Of all of our projects I think our “Made in Maidstone” project has to be the “prettiest”. This lovely bungalow is situated on a large rectangular block with an exceptionally wide street frontage. With the house being squarely in the centre of the site, one of the most enduring features of the home is the potential to interface with deep garden spaces from every side. In its original state, there were only two ways to get in and out, a front and a back door. We re-imagined the house like a ship, in that you may want to wander to port and starboard in order to track the sunlight and garden aspects during the day.
To this end we worked with Paul Pitrone to conceive a simple wraparound extension. This space houses a new dining space, the main bedroom (with a WIR + ensuite) and laundry. It is a modestly-sized extension that feels expansive due to the long site lines in each direction. In the centre adjacent to the western courtyard we designed a new space-efficient kitchen full of delightful materials and details and able to display the family collection of curios. We reused the existing rangehood, fridge, tap and sink for a resourceful approach.
Reeded glass doors to shallow pantry storage makes finding everything at a glance easy and adds texture and lightness to a wall of cabinets. Awkward corners created by U-shaped kitchen layouts were avoided by reducing the depth of the end cabinets and creating appliance nooks. Even the dead space behind an overhead cabinet above the fridge was reclaimed as a nook for a pot plant. Built by Sawhorse with detailed custom joinery by 16bays the project was lucky to be wrapped up just as the first Melbourne lockdown began. A new garden design to activate the outdoor space was done by Brave New Eco and is currently being expertly installed by Straw Brothers. Curtains, soft furnishings and a puppy were added and some serious 2020 lockdown nesting ensued. We look forward to taking more photos facing out once the garden grows!
An existing Volker haug pendant was perfectly suited for the new dining space.
An extra deep window seat looks out to the garden and captures the afternoon sun.
The merge of old and new was subtle and considered. The new part of the house invoking a modern cottagey feel that already existed in the home.
Beautiful pink and green terrazzo tiles, brushed nickel locally manufactured tapware and a view to an 8 foot hedge make this ensuite retreat feel private and nurturing.
A classic english porcelain wall light and ingrain vanity in the ensuite.
Subtle pastel tones are woven through the house telling a gentle pink and blue story.
A new bedroom with a whimsical and wild forest wall mural for an older teen.
Photography by Emma Byrnes