Treasured Space – Kingswood Residence by Williams Burton Leopardi

Surrounded by history, Kingswood Residence is reinvigorated without sacrificing its storied past. Williams Burton Leopardi carefully brings an ornate ode to yesterday into a balanced home that plays to both old and new.

Located in Adelaide’s inner east, Kingswood Residence is a light-filled inverse of its former self. What was once a dark, highly ornate home is now a space of tranquillity and warmth. Where the moodier aesthetic of its past endures, Williams Burton Leopardi pays an intentional homage. Simultaneously, an emphasis on light and connection ensures a delicate balance prevails, creating a unified whole.

Inviting full use of its luxurious aesthetic, the reinvigorated site is made more impressive by its constraints, as the new build is contained near identically, almost lovingly, within the outline of what came before.

Built in 1910, the property is steeped in history. The surrounding area harkens back to a bygone era with its abundance of heritage homes, and in reworking Kingswood Residence, Williams Burton Leopardi has maintained this stately air of history. The design upholds the idea of a conversation, bringing the home into dialogue with its occupants, the interior rooms into relation with one another, and the generous outdoor area into discourse with nature itself. Inviting full use of its luxurious aesthetic, the reinvigorated site is made more impressive by its constraints, as the new build is contained near identically, almost lovingly, within the outline of what came before.

There is an ease of transition and flow through the home’s interiors, though the segregation of space according to function is undeniable. Decadent living spaces are paralleled by livelier, contemporary counterparts. There is a natural progression that feels ageless – from the left-side of the home upon entry, where sunlight bathes the sleeping and retreatment areas, to the right, where an ambient formality is found within the living and dining rooms. In the latter, muted light plays a more purposeful role. This formality embodies the gothic tradition of its former aesthetic, still visible through arched passageways, as an ornate fireplace decoratively moulded walls and ceilings cast the mind to Victorian-era architecture.

The outdoor allotment was a primary focus in the design, an attempt to diverge from the inner sanctum.

A muted palette furnishes the space within walls of calming white, allowing the light to shimmer against flooring of varying tones and materials throughout. The home comes alive with the back-and-forth between alternating rooms, each with singular personalities that complement one another. Here, the openness of its interiors, and the way in which they invite its inhabitants into each unique area, is essential to its cohesion and connectivity.

The dining and kitchen space, adorned with gorgeous marble benchtops and lavish flooring, bathes in sunlight to one side where window walls and doorways, bordered by black framing, open up into an inviting outdoor space. The outdoor allotment was a primary focus in the design, an attempt to diverge from the inner sanctum. This opens out into a generous outdoor leisure space, with a dedicated pavilion to encourage use of the property’s rear section, as well as a tennis court and pool area.

Kingswood Residence stands with humility, understated and modest, as if to avoid calling attention to itself. Yet there is an air of quiet sophistication and an inviting aura that becomes intoxicating upon entry, as one experiences a transformed, reinvigorated home. Effortlessly balancing old and new, it is testament to the Williams Burton Leopardi’s sensitive approach to heritage.