With one of the clients of the appropriately named Pattern Cottage a designer of children's shoes, it's no surprise the addition to this cottage incorporates plenty of patterns, prints and fun details...
This quaint cottage was originally a one-bedroom home, but the clients needed extra space for their young family. Through a collaborative process, Kitty Lee Architecture transformed the cottage into a three-bedroom family home full of personality (but you'd never know that from the street). The second-storey addition is almost completely hidden from the street by mature trees! This fun-filled home has even more surprises up its sleeve.
A major transformation to the functionality of the home was achieved by shifting the entrance from the side, back to the original front of the cottage. This meant the need for a new wall tp allows the front room to be a bedroom, creating a hallway from the front door into the lounge. The lounge area is part of the original cottage but now opens on to an open-plan kitchen and living space. Old and new are defined by the transition from floorboards onto terrazzo.
An extra-long kitchen bench doubles as the family's dining table, making the most of the compact space. "The bench is the heart of the house, crafted from a tree that was demolished from a local golf course," explains Kitty.
A toilet is neatly (and conveniently) tucked under the new staircase. A bold wallpaper makes the most out of this tight space under the stairs.
Fun patterns aren't limited to the toilet. Patterned tiles are incorporated throughout the house, reflecting the owners' creative spirit and filling the home with personality. Clever touches like the tiny louvre window beside the kitchen bench let in light wherever possible and also maximises natural breezes through the home, helping the space to feel larger than it really is.
Constrained by a sewer vent pipe in the backyard, it wasn't possible to extend into the backyard. "There was little change to the existing building footprint except for the addition of a new covered deck that has become a natural extension of the living room", explains Kitty. So, instead, they went up! The deck creates a beautiful transition between inside and outside and bi-fold doors allow the home to completely open up to the garden.
The open staircase lets light fall through from above, while a ledge is a perfect place to position plants which cascade over the edge, enlivening the home.
Highlight windows above the wardrobes maximise the light in the bedrooms without sacrificing privacy and make the most of the space that, let's face it, most of us can't reach anyway! The built-in joinery even incorporates a desk so that everything looks and feels neat and finished.
Upstairs manages to fit two new bedrooms and the main bathroom while being set far enough back from the street it hardly alters the heritage facade.
"Though compact in size, the design of this house is both practical and fun. The patterns and prints of the selected interior materials and finishes have injected lots of personality into this cottage. The house is full of life and colour and perfectly suits the young family who lives here." - Kitty Lee Architecture
Tell us what you love about Pattern Cottage...
Builder: Base Projects NSW