The design unites 2 centuries through colour, materiality and an innovative, original architectural expression of floating form.
The original 1893 front Victorian cottage, has been complemented with a strikingly modern rear addition.  Colour is the key to uniting the 2, whilst also giving each its clear identity and articulation.

Located in the leafy inner city suburb of Hawthorn East, the residence is located in an original classic Victorian streetscape.  The strength of the street-scape was the key reason for the retention of the Victorian cottage, now updated to provide a more modern and contemporary residence.

Whilst many of the Victorian residences employ classic heritage colours, the intention here was to provide a more innovative and contemporary approach that respects the past but lifts it to a new era.

The Victorian front, therefore, employs a classic warm white base an is the colour that transgresses and progresses to the contemporary rear. Used externally and internally, the classic white colour provides a rejuvenation of the older residence and a pure link to the modern addition.  It is fresh and uplifting, warm and friendly.

The residence is expressed as a floating metallic object situated directly above the internal and external living areas below.

Pivoting miraculously above a lower plane of glass, horizontal sheets of spandeck provided a strong ribbed appearance at an appropriate scale for the residential building. The horizontal ribs heighten the appearance and sensory experience of this floating mass above the ground floor living plane below.

The result is a stunning architectural statement appropriate to a contemporary home for the modern Australian family.

“The modern extension unites with the older Victorian dwelling using the warm white colour as the anchoring base applied to the render of the lower level.  This contrasts and sets off the dramatic floating metallic form above, giving this its new and invigorating identity.”