House Lupe by Lintel Studio

House Lupe by Lintel Studio welcomes moments of contemplation with unique outlooks to the natural surroundings. Located in the inner-city suburb of Leichhardt, the dwelling also offers plenty of natural light, ventilation and space that is so rarely found in Sydney homes.

“Today, Australian families are looking beyond purely functional living,” says Emiliano Miranda, director at Lintel Studio. “[They are] growing increasingly interested in conjuring beautiful and varied environments to enjoy at home.” With this in mind, Lintel Studio has created House Lupe, offering a fresh take on residences in the inner city. The studio has ensured that the small scale of the dwelling’s interior responds to its location and also provides the owners various spaces for activity, relaxation and contemplation.

The studio has ensured that the small scale of the dwelling’s interior responds to its location and also provides the owners various spaces for activity, relaxation and contemplation.

Utilising primordial materials, Lintel Studio has completed House Lupe with finishes composed of locally sourced sand, earth and timber. The studio also employs thoughtful and innovative interior detailing to elevate uncomplicated specifications. “As designers, [we] grow increasingly aware of the tax to the environment incurred by excessive material processing, pigmenting and transporting,” says Miranda. “Promoting an alternative of this kind is invaluable.” Positioned to frame views of the street and neighbouring greenery, House Lupe maintains its privacy with carefully positioned openings. Working with a modest budget, Lintel Studio balanced three priorities: breathing new life into an older building, crafting a floor plan that accommodated the owners’ needs and finding ways to imbue the home with architectural value. “Due to the financial constraints, the former necessities attracted the bulk of the spending, leaving ambitious design and architectural merit to be achieved with a combination of resourcefulness and wit,” explains Miranda.

For the materials inside, brick and stone finishes were employed to emphasise the character of the surrounding neighbourhood, and timber veneer surfaces were chosen to soften the primary surface areas. Masonry walls, concrete floors and exposed rafters, which were part of the finishes, are also integral parts of the material dialogue. The colour palette of the home is flecked with red and orange terracotta, while a crisp plaster archway brings together old and new elements. “The project works to honour the existing design details of its unmistakably Australian terrace context by making a feature of its heritage fixtures and by carefully crafting a contemporary response that takes these charming tectonics as its point of departure,” says Miranda.

“The project works to honour the existing design details of its unmistakably Australian terrace context.”

Despite a small footprint, the home boasts three bedrooms, one of which is the main suite that has been elevated to allow for extra room for downstairs. “The first storey addition attends carefully to council setback requirements by tapering off toward the rear,” says Miranda. On the ground floor, an extra two bathrooms and an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space are strategically positioned to allow for ease of living. Additionally, sliding doors have been installed so the indoors is in constant dialogue with the outdoors, allowing the interior to feel more open. By making use of House Lupe’s original structure, Lintel Studio has left the dwelling’s footprint unchanged while also fulfilling the owners’ domestic requirements.

Architecture and interior design by Lintel Studio. Build by Planbuild Projects. Artwork by Janis Clarke, Jacqui Stockdale and Mika Utzon Popov.