Open Comfort – Hope House by Design by AD

Chasing an outward connection, Hope House extends its existing built legacy and heritage to propose a newly formed addition that focuses on light. Design by AD grounds the structure through materiality and form, whilst an openness emphasises new bonds beyond the built form to the curated landscape.

Resulted from a process of exploration, Hope House is an expansion of the original home that incorporates a similar crafted approach into the new. Built and designed by Design by AD, a smooth transition between the design and construction phases resulted in a streamlined resolve. The team brought a holistic sensibility to each of the project phases, enabling continual improvements to the planning along the way. Like much of the changing face of the area in West Footscray, the home is a combination of past and present, activated through a shared warmth and underpinning of community.

Resulted from a process of exploration, Hope House is an expansion of the original home that incorporates a similar crafted approach into the new.

Hope House’s original silhouette of the gabled home is extended further to the rear of the site, creating an open living, kitchen and dining space immersed within the natural elements. Designed by Kate Patterson Landscape Architects, the newly curated garden setting continues a structured formality outside with an organic playfulness. As a result, dynamic contrast defines the home. Intimate and open spaces along with linear motifs and softened curves each add a nuanced element of personality.

With the new gathering space to the rear becoming a key pull for activity and togetherness, the original front rooms of the home take occupation as the more passive retreat areas. With a four-metre-long island bench as its hero, the kitchen is more than a preparation space – it serves to be the backdrop for entertaining. The balance between the two zones emphasises an overall disconnect from the streetscape and reinforces a calm within. A palette of warmth is then brought forward, reinterpreting the home’s history into the new space and celebrating the connection between the eras.

Built and designed by Design by AD, a smooth transition between the design and construction phases resulted in a streamlined resolve.

Hope House is the result of a consolidated approach, where the construction phase allowed for continued design development. By selectively utilising remnants of the existing home and folding them into the new, Design by AD’s home emerges as a considered and strategic puzzle where every element has its place and purpose.