Carefully Considered – McPhail House by AD Design Develop

Modestly conceived, McPhail House uses restraint and purpose to subtly add recessive form to the rear of an existing heritage cottage. AD Design Develop draws inspiration from the silhouette and materiality of the original in sculpting a fitting addition to sit considerate and subdued to the rear.

Nestled amongst rows of similar cottages of the same era in Essendon, McPhail House retains elements from the original home, mostly maintaining its streetscape uninterrupted. Key to lessening the overall impact is the recessive nature of the addition and its cladding in a dark materiality that makes the form feel more like a shadow to the original than a new form of its own. Electing to retain the front façade and rooms, the new open and connected series of spaces are inserted to the rear, mirroring the slope of the existing roof. Fortunately located on a double-fronted site, the addition sits comfortably alongside the existing, creating an open and gravitating centre for everyday rituals. AD Design Develop draws cues from the original in carefully crafting the home’s next chapter.

Internally, warming timber joinery elements add textural depth to the newly sculpted kitchen and dining area, while a muted palette is used throughout with more transient elements adding colour and animation.

Built by Align Concepts and with landscape design by KPLA, McPhail House navigates the challenges of the site to ensure the orientation and openings are directed to allow for maximum comfort throughout the day. Through a similar modest lens as the original home, the new expands to include a new master bedroom suite, laundry, kitchen, dining, and lounge area, grouped behind the cottage. Although the existing sat close along the northern boundary, the new is deliberately aligned along the southern edge to allow a sense of relief and to optimise the benefits from the northern side, pulling the form away and inserting generous and strategic glazing elements.

Clad in traditional weatherboard timber, the existing home sets the tone for the proposed form. With its main aim to sit as a secondary element on the site, the tonal selection of it being dark ensures the original white cottage is highlighted and retains its presence, with the additional amenity concealed. The continued use of timber then connects across eras, while reinterpreting it in a contemporary way. Internally, warming timber joinery elements add textural depth to the newly sculpted kitchen and dining area, while a muted palette is used throughout with more transient elements adding colour and animation. The dining area extends out from the kitchen through an integrated bench that both optimises space and ensures the close connection and sense of intimacy of the original home is maintained.

Through a similar modest lens as the original home, the new expands to include a new master bedroom suite, laundry, kitchen, dining, and lounge area, grouped behind the cottage.

McPhail House cleverly disguises the addition to an existing cottage. AD Design Develop continues a lineage of craft on site, celebrating timber and the handmade.