This little gem of a project by Alexandra Buchanan Architecture in the inner Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn adds a beautiful veiled extension to an existing 1890s single fronted Victorian weatherboard cottage…
Maintaining the scale and materiality of the existing house, the two-storey extension to the rear creates a light filled, open plan space for contemporary family living.
The design provides considerable additional space for the family while maintaining the original building footprint and carefully articulating views and daylight to and from surrounding neighbours.
A private concealed balcony from the master suite provides city views to the west. Given the close proximity of adjacent neighbours, a series of carefully considered skylights and double height spaces flood the house with natural daylight and increase the sense of dynamic open space.
The house has a simple, highly efficient plan that offers flexibility, growth and practicality for its young family. Centred around a multipurpose entertaining space with fully retractable doors transforming the connectivity to the garden, the modest internal floor areas make way for more expansive connected spaces that articulate views, and channel breezes through the house.
Limited internal partitioning, and the highly considered articulation of service areas allow for increased space and integration with the garden that might only be expected of a building twice the size.
