The existing single-fronted terrace was well overdue for an update. Whiting Architects’ brief was to create a functional and inspiring home for a couple with a large dog.
With a compact 96m2 to work with, the Whiting Architects’ team considered how to maximise every skerrick of space available on the site and cheat extra space where needed.
The clients are a young working couple who like to entertain.
The home needed to be flexible enough to work for just the two of them but also be functional while entertaining guests.
City views were captured via a roof terrace which also provided an outdoor area for their large dog.
This allowed the ground floor footprint to extend almost to the rear laneway boundary without fear of losing outdoor space.
The addition of the rooftop terrace offered a space for entertaining guests outdoors too.
Whiting Architects needed to combine a living, dining, kitchen, and laundry into a mere 32m2 whilst still giving the impression of space.
The Whiting Architects design team is well-versed in designing small spaces.
They used light to give an impression of extra space.
Long skylights were used in the dining and living areas to capture north light.
This kept the house bright even on a grey Melbourne day.
Another large skylight was used in the bathroom which made it feel very generous for a small house.
An internal courtyard provides natural light to the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen and creates a pocket of texture and greenery in the centre of the house.
Extra space was cheated by concealing the appliances in the kitchen and laundry, allowing the two areas to bleed into each other as well as into living and dining areas.
The window box adds additional seating in the living area while not adding to the building footprint.
The laundry joinery is one continuous run of panelled joinery.
The kitchen joinery wraps around the hallway wall to include the bathroom door and looks like one continuous element.
Boxes and planes provide texture through repetition.
Whiting Architects retained the same language across the various elements to tie them all together.
They kept it deliberately simple using texture over colour as space was limited both physically and visually.
The muted background allows the different light quality inherent throughout the day to create ever-changing patterns of light.
There is a real reliance of light and shadow in the interior.
The use of timber, leather, stone, concrete, and soft furnishings provide texture, warmth, and depth.
The kitchen is a collection of components intended to play down the feeling of a kitchen.
The table is allowed to dominate while the actual kitchen elements become secondary.
The refrigerator is visually non-existent in the space.
Treating the component elements as furniture items is a great way to break down the mass of a kitchen.
For this young couple, Whiting Architects concentrated on creating good quality space within a limited footprint.
The result is an elegant and functional home for themselves as well as friends (and the dog) on this pocket-sized site.
Project Details
Project Size – 129 m2
Site Area – 96 m2
Completion Date – 2018
Building Levels – 2
Project Details
Architecture and Interior Design
Whiting Architects
Whiting Architects is an Architecture and Interior Design studio with over 25 years’ experience.
Director Steven Whiting’s qualifications in both Interior Design and Architecture define the firms’ signature style and form a design philosophy that centres on the premise that there is no separation between disciplines.
Associate Directors Eleanor Eade and Josie Somerville have brought energy, passion and creative expertise to Whiting Architects over the last six years, providing a youthful and dynamic approach to the practice.
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
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Design © 2020 Whiting Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Shannon McGrath. All Rights Reserved.
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