Lady Beetle House
This renovation and addition to a Federation bungalow near Coogee beach celebrates the home’s original materials and textures while bringing freshness, daylight and connections to the outdoors.
While there was much to love about this Randwick home – the distinctive lady beetle-shaped letterbox that is its namesake, for one – the existing floorplan lacked the space and openness required for modern living. Seeing the potential in the enclosed verandah at the entry, architect Vanessa Wegner began by opening this space up, creating a new, welcoming portal that celebrated the tiled floor and original stained-glass windows that frame the Mediterranean-style blue-painted door.
The voluminous space over the new kitchen is enhanced by white concrete beams and timber framed windows that offer glimpses of the canopy of the surrounding trees while also helping to control light and heat.
Designed with Wegner’s signature palette of pale walls and warm, rich timbers, the renovation includes a two-storey addition encasing a lofty, double-height kitchen which connects to a living area complete with a timber-lined window seat looking out at the garden. The voluminous space over the new kitchen is enhanced by white concrete beams and timber-framed windows that offer glimpses of the canopy of the surrounding trees while also helping to control light and heat.
An original exposed brick wall provides a backdrop for the new dining area, adding texture and a sense of heritage to the otherwise clean lines of the modern communal spaces. This links to a brick wall in the garden, which can be spied from the living room window seat. Along with the dynamic Vibia Plusminus Cone and Sphere pendant lights over the dining table, the adjacent steel framed hallway door adds a kick of industrial style to this part of the house, while the material palette of warm timbers and subdued concrete greys allows the natural beauty of the garden to shine.
Up the curved staircase, which conceals a utilitarian laundry and pantry below, the main bedroom suite opens to a verdant roof garden, which sits atop the sheltered outdoor living area. An adjoining study space with pivoting windows overlooking the kitchen lends a sense of whimsy while also providing privacy. With its elevated views over both house and garden, the upstairs spaces feel like a sanctuary for the homeowners.
Set amid a mix of apartment buildings and stand-alone homes, the house is humble from the street, with the new addition set back from the road. From the rear of the house, this structure appears like a solid element with its deep, timber-lined recesses providing contrast against the white brick. Completed in 2025, the home celebrates its heritage while providing a modern sense of breezy openness and movement.
