HOUSES HG
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN| 137
<“Wewantedlotsofnaturallight,indoor-outdoorflow,
seamless lines, sophisticated rooms, different textures
using various materials and a house that wouldn’t date,”
says the owner. Top of their wish list was replacing the
extensionattherear,whilepreservingtheintegrityof
theoriginalsection,includingthearchways,fireplaces
and cornices. This time, though, there had to be cohesion
between the new and the old.
“Theremovaloftherearofthehousegaveustheopportunitytoprovideacontemporaryinterpretationof
theVictorianterrace,”saysMatt,whoisnostrangerto
givingperiodhomesafreshtwist.“Thismeantretaining
thefunctionalzones,yetthejourneyfromfronttorear
involved selective removal of walls, breaking down the
formalityandthecontainmentoftheVictorianinterior.”
While honouring the home’s history, he created continuity
with consistency of materials, colour and detail.
Behind refurbished formal living and formal diningroomsintheoriginalpartofthehouseisaservicearea,
comprising laundry, powder room and glazed courtyard,
whichsmoothesthetransitionbetweenthetraditional
sectionandthevoluminousopen-planlivingareathat
opensupattherear.Aswellasprovidingalinkbetween
old and new, the glazed courtyard serves as a central>