Nestled towards the back of this site in Malvern, Melbourne, this two storey addition to a weatherboard Edwardian home was planned around an existing underground wine cellar.
Designed for family life, Eliza Blair Architecture created a practical design to embrace the energy of three young boys, whilst ensuring enough flexibility for the changing needs of the family.
Eliza Blair Architecture is a renovation specialist based in Melbourne, Australia.
They love the challenge of crafting timeless, functional homes, and renovations for their clients.
Their brief for this project was to create a long-term family home, for a family with three boys, that encouraged congregation and connectedness within the home.
The parents did not want to feel too separated from their kids, nor did they want the main living space to feel like it was off limits for the family.
The brief also called for high ceilings, an abundance of natural light, and an open stair leading to the ultimate parent retreat on the first floor.
And very importantly, a laundry shute.
The site was constrained with a heritage overlay.
So the addition needed to be set as far back from the street as possible to allow the existing pitched slate roof to read as a whole.
The internal footprint also needed to include the existing underground wine cellar, which was inconveniently located, but would be a wasted opportunity not to re-use.
The Eliza Blair Architecture scheme saw the extra wide living space pick up the entrance to the cellar (under the couch).
That provided an opportunity for a large north facing window seat to be centred on the pool.
With glazed sliding doors that recess into the brick piers when open, the house can effectively merge with the outdoors in summer.
In winter, the family can sit by the fire, or enjoy the warmth of the sun coming through the double glazed window.
By pushing the first floor towards the back of the block, the existing roof space was able to be used as a study and store area, creating a quiet space to work from home.
Key Products Used
Exterior
- Cladding – Everest Timber Silvertop Ash shiplap cladding, with Grimes Liming Oil
- Windows – Aluminium double glazed windows
Interior
- Woodcut Pale Oak flooring
- Arte Domus Elba stone island bench and custom designed oak round table by Joel Elliot
- Steel framed hallway doors and bathroom sliding doors
- Easycraft wall paneling
- Arte Domus bathroom tiles
- Mooi wallpaper
Eliza Blair Architecture carefully considered the sustainability of their design and incorporated these sustainability features:
- Retention of the existing building
- Passive solar design techniques for improved living conditions and building performance
- Super insulated walls and ceiling cavities
- Double-glazed high-performance windows
- Water harvesting
- Solar heating to pool
Project Details
Project size – 225 m2
Site size – 487 m2
Project Budget – $900,000
Completion date – 2020
Building levels – 2
Project Team
Architecture
Eliza Blair Architecture
Eliza Blair Architecture specialises in Melbourne renovations.
Interior Design sourcing
Lou Prentice Interiors
Landscape Design
Sophie McLean Landscape Designer
Sophie is a Melbourne-based landscape designer.
Construction
Kleev Homes is a residential building company specialising in custom designed renovations and new builds across Melbourne, Australia.
James Kleverlaan has worked in the building industry for 27 years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience with high end custom designed projects.
Photography
Shannon McGrath
Shannon McGrath has been photographing architecture and interior design works for 15 years. She is commissioned by pre-eminent architects and designers around Australia for her ability to get under the skin of a project, and not only capture its pure essence but also her client’s formal design intent. Passionate and professional, Shannon’s images are known for their beautiful portrayal of light and form, with a soft realism that celebrates the subject matter.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Eliza Blair Architecture. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Shannon McGrath. All Rights Reserved.
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