Subtlety is the one word Theresa Street residence evokes.
On Sonelo Design Studio's first visit to this single storey house off a cul-de-sac lane, they were dazed by what presented before them. Upon entry, the architects were greeted by a tripartite layout with a rather wide hallway barreling through the gut of the house into the living room. Two clumsy stairs ascended from hallway to mezzanines. Spaces were dim and disjointed. Mezzanines were low in headroom. Bathrooms were bunker like, far removed from the loft interiors it boasted.
The architects were tasked to create a seamless light-filled interior whilst not diminishing the accommodation. With a modest construction budget, contrary to the extent of works required, the intervention became an exercise of restraint. A rigorous re-planning was necessary to bring forth spatial clarity and continuity.
New kitchen, dining, and bathrooms were relocated to the heart of the house, previously a bland hallway, linking existing front entry to the living room simultaneously benefitting from the tall gable ceiling. Selection of finishes took cue from existing industrial detail and palette was kept neutral.
The outcome is a modest seamless interior effortlessly disguising the old as new.