A brief that might have disheartened some architects inspires a humble renovation that dramatically improves 'dog's breakfast' house. Jean-Paul Rollo Architects' renovation to a house in the Fitzroy North completely transforms the interior…
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Third Life
This latest transformation is the third life for the house. The original home was a 100 year old Victorian cottage. In the 1970s, the then owner turned the home into a brick veneer, built by the owner himself. Now, thanks to Jean-Paul Rollo Architects and a humble client brief, it has become a contemporary house with a light filled interior for a young couple and their three children. The clients had a simple brief — improve their home by using the spaces they already had more effectively and make the home more light by regaining sunlight the house had turned its back on.
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Reorienting the Home
The service spaces previously located on the north have been relocated to the south side of the house to allow for north-facing living. The eastern aspect, meanwhile, has been reconfigured with large glazed timber sliding doors to connect the internal and external spaces.
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Self-Contained Studio
An existing tandem garage has been divided to create a self-contained studio overlooking the backyard.
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An Exercise in Modernising
The footprint of the home was kept about the same, while the brickwork and was bagged and painted white to modernise it. A mismatch of windows and doors were replaced with matching timber framed openings. The tiled roof was also re-clad in corrugated iron.
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Materials Palette
The project takes inspiration from its former owner, an Italian immigrant with terrazzo floors concrete benchtops. The material palette includes a custom-fabricated 8mm folded steel-plate blackened, waxed stair-case; terrazzo-tiled floor; concrete bench tops; and bespoke handles and coat hooks crafted by a local steel fabricator and hand-finished by the architect.
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