Timeless Legacy – Casa Cassata by Timmins + Whyte Architecture & Design

Combining heritage, legacy and Italian roots, Casa Cassata sees the transformation of an existing Edwardian home into an openly engaged and naturally lit fusion of colour and animation. Timmins + Whyte Architecture & Design crafts a playful and personally connective series of spaces that not only embed an expression of people and place, but also converse with the natural elements.

Located in Fitzroy, Casa Cassata needed both a restoration of its existing parts and a new liveable rear extension to support the combined daily functions of family life. Wanting to maintain connections to the Edwardian-era origins and to ensure the streetscape rhythm continued, the original front portion of the home and its formally separated rooms were retained. Utilising the sense of proportion and order of the original grid planning, these spaces are now occupied with more passive functions. Adding another layer to the interior is an enriched palette inspired by the Italian backgrounds of the owners. Taking its name from the famed Mediterranean dessert, Timmins + Whyte Architecture & Design ensures the home becomes both a place of retreat and personal expression for those that live within.

Whilst the heritage elements remain and are celebrated throughout, the new heart of the home becomes the shared living space to the rear, encouraging guests and occupants to come together.

Built by Encore Projects, together with joinery by Profile Office Furniture, the careful integration between the outer shell and the more permanent elements forms a considered foundation for the home. Unique to the interior is a more colour-led approach, which offers a point of departure from the traditional alterations of many storied homes. Combining both the crafted and handmade approach of the original together with a more contemporary take, the spaces direct views out to emphasise an openness.

Whilst the heritage elements remain and are celebrated throughout, the new heart of the home becomes the shared living space to the rear, encouraging guests and occupants to come together. As a reflection of how homes are occupied today, this space binds the old and new, as well as the passive and active spaces throughout. As a key feature, the coloured glass within the new kitchen references the original window details to the front of the home, allowing a further activation of the interior as natural light passes through spaces throughout the day.

Unique to the interior is a more colour-led approach, which offers a point of departure from the traditional alterations of many storied homes.

In reflecting a youthful approach and the growing family that live within, Casa Cassata is a nod to the traditional and the heritage. By overlaying meaning, Timmins + Whyte Architecture & Design ensures a unique personalisation is felt within and the owners themselves are intimately reflected throughout.