DREAM IT.
The original two-bedroom terrace held little allure – but the location
more than made up for it. A stone’s throw from the harbour and
in-demand Balmain, Birchgrove is one of Sydney’s hidden gems.
“The home itself was pretty rubbish – it had very low ceilings and
was very skinny and dark,” says Casey. “But it ticked all the other
boxes in terms of the area, a nice view and a good street.”
The architect’s priority was to have light penetrate into the core
of the building. “A glazed roof was positioned over the staircase and
across the living area to define both the living and dining zones,
which resulted in a suspended cubist form, or box shape,” says Michael.
While light and bright, it was important that the house still felt
like home to a potential buyer. “We certainly didn’t want it to feel
sterile or look like a gallery,” says Casey.R
enovating homes is a way of life for Casey Scott.
As a child, he moved from house to house watching his
parents renovate, and he was hooked. “The houses would
start out as pretty terrible and turn out to be amazing,”
says Casey. As a young man, the Sydneysider and his sister would
join in, working with their parents on projects. His sister created her
own reno company with friends, Three Birds Renovations, and soon
after Casey and two mates, Scott Ligertwood and Matt Crocker, started
their company, Kinwolf. “We are all mad for design,” says Casey. “It’s
pretty awesome to do what you love for a living with your mates.”
Their first project is this terrace in the Sydney suburb of Birchgrove.
“It’s a 126-square-metre block, so we had to be smart with the space
and let light in,” says Casey. Only the front facade stayed the same. At
the back, architect Michael Dawson of Dawsonvu balanced a timber
box on top of a linear living zone that opens to the garden and sky.‘Marmi’ porcelain
panel in Statuario,
POA, Maximum,
maximumaustralia.com.‘Vivid’ slimline
mixer, $429, Phoenix
Tapware, phoenix
tapware.com.au.Inside Out / 97