Ben’s House

THE BRIEF
Located on one of West Leederville’s most desirable and leafy streets, we were to create a home for our client and his quick little cat, Catty Freeman. The character cottage facing the street was to be retained and improved, and we were to build an addition to the rear facing the laneway. With much consideration it was decided we would only provide for two dedicated bedrooms in the home, creating a small bar and library in what could have been the typical third bedroom. The addition comprised a new living zone on the ground floor and master bedroom on the first floor.

INSIDE OUTSIDE
It was important the addition did not take up any more space than the existing lean-to structure it replaced did. This was to retain a proportionate and usable garden space, all too often sacrificed for more floor area. The new ground floor living areas completely open to the garden, with a matching floor finish and recessed glazing to ensure it reads as one larger space. This indoor / outdoor zone is great for parties but it’s also really nice enjoyed when alone on the sofa, feeling more akin to a terrace. The black-tiled plunge pool sits perfectly and proportionally in its corner of the garden, peeking out behind lush planting.

VOIDS & LIGHT
With a small, skinny-ish lot and tight planning controls, the challenge, and opportunity, was always going to be access to north light. The living areas face east to the garden, so to draw light in from the long, northern edge, we pulled the new first floor level off this northern wall, allowing a thin void that runs the length of the living below. Homes are close together here, so the high-level windows within this void were designed to sit higher than the neighbouring roof line, allowing light to funnel down into the home.

MORE WITH LESS
The new building form is intentionally simple; a rectangular addition that is hidden from street view behind the existing cottage. This meant simple and cost-effective construction; however, the simplest things are often the hardest to execute. We had to be very considered to ensure each space packed a punch, and the layout was highly efficient with no superfluous space. It doesn’t cost more to angle a structural beam, but this move allowed us the interesting angular void space that sits over the dual-purpose kitchen / dining bench, adding to the drama and sense of space.

HOTEL VIBES
Space and amenity for the master bedroom was a priority. The entire new first-floor forms the master suite, with the void separating bedroom from ensuite. The vanity bench was pulled out into the corridor, a hotel-like move which also allowed for a larger double shower in the ensuite. The folded and perforated ‘zig zag’ metal screen provides privacy to the bedroom but also filters the morning light casting beautiful shadow patterns on all the surfaces. The aesthetic of this screen is befitting of a grungy inner-city laneway, and a modern contrast to the prim cottage facing the leafy street. At night It creates a lantern-like effect, providing a quirky backdrop to the garden below it.

COLLABORATION
This project was a dream collaboration with the highly sought-after Nickolas Gurtler Interior Design from Melbourne. We enhanced each other’s design ideas, with the final result being a cohesive and highly detailed bachelor pad. Natural, textured materials feature throughout, their tactility a star of the show; you cannot help but want to touch the flamed stone benchtops. The interiors have a masculine energy and are executed to exactly the taste of the owner, which is how a house you are paying for you should always be.