A Rich & Textural Hobart Cottage – Lower Jordan Hill Road by Taylor and Hinds

A modernisation of a Federation-era home, Lower Jordan Hill Road sees a series of purposed insertions activate the traditional planning and materiality. Taylor and Hinds combines a nuanced interpretation of the home’s history with a rich and warm proposal of the contemporary.

Sitting sturdily on its sandstone base, Lower Jordan Hill Road is located on a sloping site in Hobart. A remnant of the workers cottages typical of the area’s vernacular, the Federation-era weatherboard clad home was in need of modernisation. Inheriting the issues of lack of sunlight, absence of internal connection and dampness common to many such cottages, there was much space for improvement. In reworking the home, Taylor and Hinds brought a combined understanding and appreciation of the heritage condition while interpreting the contemporary with a familiar materiality and welcoming warmth. Through a series of deliberate and purposed insertions, the resulting home now speaks to its site and its current brief and occupants.

Previously part of the Lenaker Estate, the site was subdivided in the late 19th century, but still was the lesser of the structures and was physically overshadowed. This condition was a key focus for the renovation and extension works. Flanked to the west and east by open parkland and established garden settings, the initial works were to better engage with these larger canopies in scale and proportion. A new retaining wall acts as an extension to the sandstone base, and extends the length of the home, adding texture and structural support. Internally, slatted timber elements wrap upward and evolve into seating as an extension of the folded material, encasing the furniture and architecture as one connected source.

Sitting sturdily on its sandstone base, Lower Jordan Hill Road is located on a sloping site in Hobart.

Externally, the new weatherboard cladding is deliberately oversized, while still referencing the home’s origins. The new addition opens upward and outward, to generously welcome inward sunlight and solar gains. Some of these weatherboard elements are also operable and open the home, while still allowing a sense of privacy. With locally-sourced timber accents used internally, the interiors are both inviting and approachable. This tactile quality is extended to the addition of brass elements that are reflective and invite interactive engagement. Gestures like the geometry of the new living room, which also folds out into an oversized sash window and acts as a high-backed window seat, creates a play on scale. While also referencing traditional elements, the design brings a fresh edge to heritage integration.

Taylor and Hinds combines a nuanced interpretation of the home’s history with a rich and warm proposal of the contemporary.

With subtlety and restraint, Lower Jordan Hill Road’s existing heritage is brought into the modern world. Taylor and Hinds applies knowing warmth and understanding of materiality to propose an enveloping and inviting home, that beautifully bridges the old and new.