An Interactive Cinema of Self – Upside Down House by Sibling Architecture
An experiential treat, Upside Down House is an intrepid exercise of angularity, sculpture and reflection. The spirited approach by Sibling Architecture sees a single storey Victorian terrace transformed into a sensorial adventure.
Designed for a budding family and their Golden Retriever, the insertion of an animated upper level and a rooftop terrace complete the Carlton North home’s revival. Upside Down House’s frontage introduces the neutral palette continued throughout, while the gregarious emerald door merrily hints at the abode’s propensity for striking elements within.
This interactive cinema of self joyfully grants a topsy-turvy vantage rarely experienced in residential homes, creating a fantastical alternate reality hoisted over the dining table.
Lightly dressed in white, the home possesses an airiness afforded by expansive west-facing skylights embedded in the first floor’s sawtooth roof. Its sculptural, oblique form is deftly capitalised by Sibling Architecture, with the inclusion of gold reflective panels placed above to mirror the lives of the inhabitants below. This interactive cinema of self joyfully grants a topsy-turvy vantage rarely experienced in residential homes, creating a fantastical alternate reality hoisted over the dining table. White orbed pendants bob overhead, like moons of the flaxen parallel universe. Also seen in the kitchen, stairwell and bedrooms, spherical lights unite spaces, forming the dwelling’s solar system.
The kitchen’s white joinery, timber flooring, tiles and speckled benchtop add a peppering of texture and colour. In a clever continuity of materials, the tiles of the kitchen bench summon passage outdoors by extending over stairs and up to the rooftop terrace.
Gilded and glamourous, the home’s hallmark reflective panels, dazzling bathroom tiling and even Daisy the Retriever carry through a theme of golden opulence.
Celebrating the home’s brick chimney – which is tiled to melt into the flooring – the private rooftop hideaway is optimised for entertaining and connection to the suburb’s streetscape. A wraparound sill encourages congregation around the centrepiece and is a clear favourite sun lounging spot for the owners’ prized pooch, Daisy.
Sleek black grout, tapware and fittings contrast the crisp white joinery and tiling of the home’s bathrooms. Aptly chosen, the classic grid style is calming in its simple repetition, humbly stepping back to champion the glimmering feature walls of the master ensuite. A sensational experience is created when showering amongst the gleaming gold tiles – their glint is reflected in water droplets that fall like glitter from the overhead rain shower. A somewhat more demure guest bathroom sees the inclusion of a lavish tub for soaking and relaxing without the fanfare.
Sibling Architecture’s artful exploration sees Upside Down House regaled with detail at every turn. Exposed red brick masonry juxtaposes crisp white forms and offers a delightful textural experience while ascending the timbered staircase. Even the ground floor’s rear spurs interest in its proud presentation of shape and pattern; the home’s courtyard pavement is arranged in a striking diamond configuration, presenting as a tri-coloured mosaic of earthen bricks that envelop the structure’s main volume.
Gilded and glamourous, the home’s hallmark reflective panels, dazzling bathroom tiling and even Daisy the Retriever carry through a theme of golden opulence. Sibling Architecture has crafted a home of curiosity and playfulness, allowing Upside Down House to purposefully emerge.
