Life Down a Lane by Tom Robertson Architects

Built on a tiny, inner-suburban site, Life Down a Lane by Tom Robertson Architects centres around two internal courtyards, turning the home’s focus inwards to create a private haven amid seven adjoining neighbours.

Life Down a Lane embraces an unconventional relationship with the public realm, built boundary to boundary on a vehicular laneway. “Typical human-scale interactions with a street don’t apply here,” says director Tom Robertson. The close proximity of neighbouring properties demanded careful consideration to minimise impact and maximise privacy, shaping the building’s minimalist, stepped expression. “From the outside, the form is robust, predominantly solid and slightly defensive,” Robertson notes. Once inside, however, the house reveals two double-height courtyards that anchor its program and invite light, air and connection inward.

The spine-like arrangement of courtyards through the plan’s centre buffers the main bedroom and two children’s bedrooms while offering equitable access to light and landscape.

The home’s spatial arrangement directly responds to the client’s desire for a contemporary family home with efficient, functional zones – including outdoor settings for entertaining and play, and a garage that doubles as a flexible space. Tom Robertson Architects elevated the principal kitchen, dining and living spaces to the first floor to increase access to natural light and privacy, with bedrooms tucked neatly on the ground floor below.

The spine-like arrangement of courtyards through the plan’s centre buffers the main bedroom and two children’s bedrooms while offering equitable access to light and landscape. “Large, full-width pivot doors allow the courtyards to flow across the circulation space, through the full depth of the site,” adds Robertson – a gesture that enhances the home’s sense of scale.

“Life Down a Lane is exactly that – a home for the daily life of a family, strengthened by security and softened by greenery, in the inner-urban heartland of Richmond,” says Robertson.

Drawing on a robust, painted exterior for ease of maintenance, the home’s double-brick skin and exposed ground floor slab maximise thermal mass for passive temperature regulation. While the ground-floor interiors embrace a restrained palette, swathes of warm timber veneer and stone enliven the upper level, animated by washes of natural light from the courtyard voids and stepped ceiling framed by clerestory windows. A planter box nestles beside the dining area, foregrounding eastern views across the laneway with lush planting.

“Life Down a Lane is exactly that – a home for the daily life of a family, strengthened by security and softened by greenery, in the inner-urban heartland of Richmond,” says Robertson. By thoughtfully separating living and sleeping zones, entertaining can continue upstairs while kids sleep, yet opportunities for connection remain via indirect views through the garden. The home’s calm, simple tone supports the rhythm of family life, while its inventive response to a small, unusual site thoughtfully tethers its occupants to the bustling suburb they love.

Architecture by Tom Robertson Architects. Build by BFC Built. Landscape design by Kate Le Page Garden Design.