dappled terrace house
A haven of light and space is a revelation for the owners of this sloping terrace house site. Prior to its transformation, the level changes across the hundred-year-old once fire-station had made the house a labyrinth of split levels, changing ceiling heights and small rooms. The opportunity quickly revealed itself to rationalise the small spaces into one united living area that could take advantage of the available height and create a contemporary, central nucleus for the family.
Location: WANGAL Country - BALMAIN, NSW
Completed: 2021
Builder: Hatch Constructions
Structural: Fred Barros Engineering
Landscape: Owners with Marker
Interiors: Owners with Marker
Planner: Marker
Photography: Simon Whitbread
Featured In: Inside Out Magazine ︎︎︎
The result is a space speaking a new architectural language of sweeping curves, bold lines and ever-changing light. A ground level combined kitchen, living and dining space has become the new heart of the home. The dramatic centrepiece of the renovation is a sprawling, wave-like ceiling that bridges two ceiling heights in the one room; from the single-story height at the laneway to the soaring double height volume kitchen, the ceiling organically connects the new addition to the corridor of the original terrace above. The space is flooded with natural light from the north, and with dappled, warm afternoon sun from the west via a screened highlight window and vast steel doors shaded by a gorgeous, mature frangipani. Beyond the doors to the west is a walled yard that includes a vegetable and herb garden, mature trees and lawn for the kids to play on.
Up the timber and steel staircase, the original, turn-of-the-century terrace house has been invigorated with new joinery, reconditioned floorboards and exquisite new bathroom and laundry spaces that reflect the eclectic, sophisticated style of the owners. Efficient use of space in the original terrace footprint now also grants the family a kids’ playroom, a mudroom and lots of extra storage.