Subtle Freshness – Brunning House by AD Design Develop

Subtly peaking over the gabled roof of the existing heritage cottage, Brunning House sees an upward and outward opening to embrace the unmet potential of the site. AD Design Develop uses contrast and restraint to propose the contemporary expanded home that acknowledges and retains its past.

Located south of Melbourne in Balaclava, the quaint heritage cottage is given a new chapter whilst remaining connected to its previous narrative. While the original elements of the structure are retained in place, an addition to the rear opens up the otherwise formally separated home, creating a connected and contemporary series of spaces. In its narrowness, the main challenge was bringing light and allowing for an unforced flow between each of the zones within the home. By adding a double storey volume to the rear of the existing, a generous and open-planned living, dining and kitchen space opens out to the back landscape, with full height glazing welcoming a connection between inside and out. AD Design Develop balances the ornate of the original home with the pared back clarity of the new.

A dark palette is used throughout, brightened with a monochromatic base mixed with lighter elements.

A dark palette is used throughout, brightened with a monochromatic base mixed with lighter elements. The exterior of the existing and the new are bound together through their common cloaking in a dark tonality, while the interior transitions from a lighter base at the front of the house into a mixed combination in the convening areas of the home. A celebration of the transition – and as a sign of a changed surface underfoot – the point where the timber flooring switches into the poured in-situ concrete marks where the addition begins. In meeting the existing finished floor level, the new had to be elevated above the natural slope of the site to allow a smooth transition.

Although dark in parts, the home is softened with the introduction of textures and textiles, as well as through a created openness. The addition moves the main bedroom upstairs into the cantilevered space with its own accompanying ensuite. The formal rhythm of the existing rooms allows for a natural separation on the lower level between functions, instilling privacy in the process. From here, the separation ceases and a shared sense of community overcomes the home. Integrated joinery then allows amenity to be concealed and for clutter to be eliminated, concentrating on the outward connection to the landscape. The stairs complete the story of openness with its pieces allowing light to infiltrate.

Although dark in parts, the home is softened with the introduction of textures and textiles, as well as through a created openness.

Despite its dark elements, Brunning House sits light and open, seeing AD Design Develop bind the old with the new with knowing precision.