Location
Gadigal Country
Paddington, NSW
Status
Completed
Year
2017
Builder
BAU Group Construction
Photographer
Prue Ruscoe
Landscape Design
Outdoor Establishments
Joinery
Saltwater
Stylist
Alexandra Gordon
This grand Victorian terrace in Sydney’s east had been converted into four apartments during the 1920s austerity era. Our client’s brief was to undo this subdivision and restore the three-level terrace to its former glory.
A discrete new rear addition extends the lower ground level – once a dark, damp laundry – into a new light-filled kitchen and dining area that opens to the garden. The original top level is reconfigured and restored, while the middle, street-level salon and living room, blend materiality and details from the levels above and below – mediating between the old and new.
A palette of natural materials – oak and steel, marble and brass – is used throughout, with different detailing between the new and heritage rooms. The skylit staircase connecting all three levels is simply detailed with a fine oak balustrade that offers a contemporary nod to traditional timber work. Like the reborn house, it is elegant, contemporary and timeless.
A carefully orchestrated layering of history presents an elegant new identity with glimpses of the past.