Focused on Light – Fitzroy House by Pierce Widera

Navigating inherited previous renovations, Fitzroy House delicately weaves the new amongst the old, conjuring a sensical and flowing floor plan in the process. Pierce Widera’s approach focuses on light and openness, drawing on modernist influences to propose a home of considered cohesion.

Like many of its neighbours and the identifiable character of the surrounding area, Fitzroy House stands as a reminder of its beginnings amongst the oldest suburb in Melbourne. Within that material reminder lies the formal reminder, where a series of rigidly arranged rooms sit neatly in a row, devoid of light. In bringing a sense of purpose and cohesion to the home as a whole, the resulting approach focuses on light and openness as a connector – a means to link the history of the house to contemporary modes of occupation. Behind its heritage façade of stone and plaster, Fitzroy House sits almost completely reimagined. Retained in proportion between its narrowly flanking neighbours, the terrace home extends over two levels. Through a replanning to enhance flow, Pierce Widera engages simplicity and restraint to shape a light and open home.

Through a replanning to enhance flow, Pierce Widera engages simplicity and restraint to shape a light and open home.

Built by Connelly Builders, Fitzroy House sees the reworking of both the original bones of the home and the added extensions over time. As a response to how people live today, the rear becomes the main convening heart of the home, with the dining and kitchen spaces all connected and openly flowing, leading into the private garden space. As one of the most frequently used areas of the home, the kitchen is a defining feature of the new works, setting the tone for the rest of the design. Light timber and white laminate create a calming and restful atmosphere, while clean lines and open apertures to the garden beyond are a key focus. Though as much of the original as possible was retained, through a tweaking of fixtures and joinery, the space now feels deliberately conceived.

The retained and more disconnected living space engages with the existing fireplace setting, while adding a contemporary and fresh linear lightness to the space. Throughout, the palette remains muted and mainly white, with tonal accents and texture adding subtle differences. Warmth is added through collected furniture pieces that reflect a love of the mid-century period, while artwork adds elements of animated colour, contained within their frames, in each space. An overall feeling of retreat is captured through the shared materiality and limited use of an extensive palette, ensuring an increased sense of openness.

An overall feeling of retreat is captured through the shared materiality and limited use of an extensive palette, ensuring an increased sense of openness.

Fitzroy House is a restrained exemplar for the reworking of a tight Victorian terrace home. Pierce Widera emphasises control and an honest modesty befitting the scale of the original while connecting to a contemporary way of living.