There was an old home in Victoria; A cottage in need of a makeover. So they took what was there, Faced the view with care. And now they've a stunning weekender!
Limerick House, designed by Solomon Troup Architects, is a poetic response to an existing home and the hilly farmland it inhabits. And, thankfully, the architects are better at poetry than me! The original home was constructed by the owner's father from a collection of three railway cottages. While it served its purpose, the cottage felt disconnected from the landscape and didn't take advantage of the expansive hillside views.
"Set on a large plot of rural land, the existing house was insular and failed to respond to the expansive views of the surrounding landscape." - Solomon Troup Architects
The addition is inspired by both the original cottages and the dilapidated timber shearing sheds of the local area. The addition rhymes with the form of the original home, matching its gable form, but the use of timber inside and out relates more to the shearing sheds and brings another layer of meaning to the home.
Containing an open-plan living area, the addition matches the dimension of the existing railway cottages, but this new verse is angled in plan towards the view.
"The exterior of the addition is clad entirely in spotted gum decking boards, stained black to enhance the resemblance the materiality of the dilapidated shearing sheds", explains the architect. "The aging of the timber as it silvers off will further enhance this resemblance."
Silvertop ash lining boards are used internally to contrast with the dark exterior and bring a remarkable warmth to the home. A glazed link between old and new is defined by a darker colour scheme.
In winter two large, steel doors frame a view of the undulating country hillside. In summer, these doors open up to allow the indoors to flow effortlessly into the landscape.
Architecture is poetry. You might not see it at first, but it's there. Rhythm, rhyme and nuanced meaning are the essence of what makes architecture more than just buildings. There's certainly an art to it, but if you get it right? It can be the difference between an ordinary home and something extraordinary.
