Australian Design Review’s top ten Australian homes of 2022
“I came across Austin Maynard Architects website and I loved the detail and the playfulness. Every project responded directly to the family, with such imagination and also a very keen sense of design - not in a linear sense, but really creative, and we loved that aspect. I always remember the first email exchange we wrote something about ‘following the yellow brick road’, and all along the way it felt like there was a magical element.”
Zoe & Merez, owners of Picket House
THE WHAT
Picket House is a two storey addition to a freestanding Edwardian timber house, at the top of a hill in Northcote, Melbourne. The old part of the house has been re-roofed and internally upgraded and now forms the dormitory, with three bedrooms, a study and a bathroom. The new addition has living, dining and kitchen in an open play layout, with a pantry, powder room and laundry along the southern side at ground level. The living area is double height to maximise light and volume. The first floor has a multi-functional open space (currently used as a playroom) with a walkway out to an external deck.
THE BRIEF
The owners Zoe and Merez, professional chefs and parents of two young children, began their renovation plans with a simple aim, they wanted a deck at the back of their house. The exisiting, run down 70s lean-to at the rear of their property, though “had to go” and by extending the footprint a more prescriptive brief evolved; coupling the owners requirements with functional aspects and their desire for “an overall sense of warmth, volume and light”.
The typical approach by Austin Maynard Architects is to find the opportunities within the brief and the site, to seek responses that surprise and delight rather than adopting typical approaches to residential design. At Picket House suggestions such as the flexible space at first floor level, the entry between the existing home and the new build, and the separation of sleeping quarters in the old house and living zones in the addition, all evolved during the design process.
THE WHY
The original property had been used as a share house for many years and was in a state of general disrepair. While the front of the house had great character and required straightforward upgrade and improvement, the old weatherboard lean-to at the back of the house was unsalvageable, removed and the rear yard cleared. Responding to site and orientation, the new addition is positioned on the southern side of the block, to maximise the garden space and allow northern sun into both levels. A vertical linking element between the old and the new building forms the new entryway, with staircase between the varying floor levels responding to the gradient of the block. To reduce height and ensure the southern wall along the street is at fence height, the addition has been sunken in the ground.
NEVER CORNERED
As architects, whenever we’re presented with a laneway, or a corner, it’s always exciting because it means we can add another dimension. Often you see houses on corners that have not responded to site or opportunity. Instead they stick to the typical linear layout, and build a huge fence along the street, as though they might one day have a neighbour on that side. Whenever we have the ability to change the orientation, we do. At Picket House we were presented with three frontage possibilities. By creating a new entry in the central link between the original home and the new addition, visitors to the house are invited directly into the entertaining, living and garden areas, rather than past private bedrooms.
LEVELS
The block is sited on a fairly steep gradient, with the front of the house at the top of a hill, sloping downwards to the rear of the block. This presented the opportunity to investigate levels between spaces and the idea of vertical connection.
At several points the ground levels were pre-determined and could not be raised or lowered, such as the door between the old lean-to and original house and the footpath along the side of the block - but there was flexibility in setting new internal floor levels.
Having repositioning the front door at the side of the house, the entry floor level was set at kitchen bench top height, allowing a flow of space from the entry through to the kitchen and out to the BBQ zone. Half a flight up is the original doorway to the old part of the house, which is now dormitory. Another half stair up there’s a timber batten landing which provides a connection between ground and first floor, and an open entry way through to the rumpus and out to the external raised deck.
Though it serves to access a total of four levels within the layout of the house, the central staircase appears, by design, small and simple.
‘A VISUAL SHORTHAND FOR THE GOOD LIFE’
White picket fences became synonymous with a dream suburban life in the 1940s & 50s. Highly culturally symbolic, thanks to films like ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, a white picket fence was, as the Smithsonian magazine surmised, ‘a visual shorthand for the good life.’ In the 1980s white picket fences enjoyed a revival as new urbanist developers sought to entice potential residents with a sense of safety and security. You can see through a picket fence, you can have a conversation through it, unlike a brick wall, a picket fence allows for friendly, neighbourly interaction.
Having relocated the new addition along the southern boundary to maximise northern light, we sought to address the outcome of added bulk along the street. Rather than add on a big high contemporary box, we took a lighter approach to the new build. We sunk the new addition to reduce height and embraced the suburban language of the area.
For the visual, practically and financial benefit, we initially considered white pickets as an option to creatively reinterpret the need to a side fence. As the design progressed, the typical fence material of the paling/picket became the external cladding, concealing the lower level wall of the addition on the southern side, and wrapping the entire first floor of the addition.
Concealed shutters within the palings on the northern side provide sun protection, while on the western side the pickets have been rotated to provide outlook as well as some shading. The decking timber is trimmed at the edges to match the palings, as if fence palings were laid flat to become decking.
The white picket fence is a relatable and easily identified element of the suburban landscape. A friendly device that defines the division between neighbours. The white palings at Picket House make it distinct from the old house but not a foreign object: an object clad in a suburban friendly coat.
THE LINK
A distinct separation was created between old and new with the insertion of a vertical black box covered in ‘archbar’. Over time, the link will be entirely engulfed with climbing vines, creating a green connection.
Having removed the lean to, the external wall was re-clad in weatherboards to match
The external weatherboard cladding of the old house was re-done on the western wall to match the existing cladding and to finish the rear of the old house. This cladding (weatherboards and bargeboards) was run through internally along the entry wall to appear as though the new addition was slid up against the rear wall respectfully interacting with the old structure.
“We wanted to celebrate the architecture and the era of the original house, but make this new addition entirely different. I love how it became all about living, while the old part is dormitory. That’s where the link between the old and the new is quite dramatic. It’s not a huge space but having the light and the volume was so important. I love the progression of steps, coming down and seeing the levels and the light and the terrazzo. We just love this space. It’s a joy to live in a beautiful designed home that works for us.”
INTERNAL FINISHES
Within the new addition a range of materials and textures create a warmth and character to the ground floor living, kitchen and dining space. Brass detailing, mirror, terrazzo, a timber ceiling, polished concrete, navy cabinetry and wall finish complete the palette. Rather than a neutral interior materials and colours were selected to bring a warm personality to the living space.
“We wanted a new build that had a 60s modernist vibe and that wasn’t easy for the builders we know. We had collected so many things over the years, furniture, art, all the Danish light fittings, which we’ve been holding on to for almost ten years, the old french chateaux doors. We’re really happy we were able to bring older elements into the new part.”
SUSTAINABILITY
Northern orientation- slab on round
Ceiling fan
In-slab hydronic heating
Shading of glazing
Double glazing
Water tank
Retention & renovation of as much of old house as possible
Austin Maynard Architects Project Team
Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Natalie Miles
Completed
December 2021
Total Site Area:
418m2 (Addition, 120m2 total. 102m2 (Ground = 67m2 + First = 35m2) + Balcony = 18m2
Existing House 112m2 total 94m2 + Verandah = 18m2)
Builder
CBD Contracting
Engineer
Adams Engineering
Photographer
Tess Kelly
Traditional Owners of the land
The Wurundjeri-willam clan, speaking Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung languages, of the Kulin Nation are the traditional owners of the land where the Park St house is located.