An Expressed Effervesce – Pony by WOWOWA

Enlivening a post-war relic, Pony brings the vibrancy of its growing family together with an expressed effervesce, capturing the spirit of its owners. WOWOWA’s playful sensibilities inject moments of curiosity to conjure the new renovation and expansion works, paying an homage to the familiar.

Nestled into Melbourne’s Brighton East, the previous home neither responded to its surrounding context nor to its proximity the coast and was in need a re-centring. Inherited as an apricot-hued brick home, the post-war stylings were in need of both a connection to a contemporary lived experience and to its current owners. Through an extensive, robust push and pull, Pony’s resulting renovation and extension is decisive in the bold personality created, while firmly planting roots to connect to its context. As the home to a growing family of six, the home also allows for an inbuilt flexibility to capture the dynamism required over time, as needs change. A vibrant and energetic palette ensued, seeing WOWOWA capture the flurry of the familiar family home, while reflecting its residents through a series of unique ways.

A vibrant and energetic palette ensued, seeing WOWOWA capture the flurry of the familiar family home, while reflecting its residents through a series of unique ways.

Pony was originally built in the 1960s and stood reflective of its time. Weighted through its masonry composition, the challenge was to both modernise and retain the memory of its inception, while also carving a relevant home in the process. The existing plan is reworked, creating an open convening space in the living, kitchen and dining spaces as well as additional dedicated children’s play areas. The clear delineation between wings within the home creates a sense of hierarchy internally and helps achieve a natural division between passive and active spaces, while also allowing for working from home to occur. Connections beyond to the surrounding landscape also ground the home and bring a feeling of the living element inside.

As an exaggeration and celebration of the existing and created dual axis of the home, a clip-on colonnade structure is formed and added, ushering movement while also being its own signature feature. Externally, the unique roof cladding adds a sculptural element and hints to the construction of a boat in form, further anchoring the home in its coastal locale. This same analogy is brought into the planning of the home, signalling cues that resemble the keel, bow and stern in ways. Throughout, colour and contrast are used to animate the home and encourage a lived feel as a result, where a saturated and layered emphasis aims to heighten the experience.

Throughout, colour and contrast are used to animate the home and encourage a lived feel as a result, where a saturated and layered emphasis aims to heighten the experience.

Through a confident use of colour and form, Pony emerges as a uniquely fitting home for its young family. WOWOWA creates a calmly immersive series of spaces, capturing the essence of its past and present.