Williamstown House by Adam Kane Architects

A bold evolution of a coastal Edwardian home, Williamstown Residence by Adam Kane Architects instils quiet contemporary simplicity and reductionist detailing amid a leafy 1000-square-metre setting.

At the mouth of the Yarra River, a longstanding settlement resides in honour of a poignant maritime history, broken by pockets of parks and greenery that soften this seaward expanse. Recalling the essence of the quarter-acre dream, Williamstown Residence presents a bold reinvention of an Edwardian villa. Conceived as a connector of past and present, the home is imbued with a reductionist language – meticulously resolved and poetically sincere.

Stepping into a compact foyer, a curvilinear stair extends skyward to the children’s domain, drenched in daylight from a generous rooftop aperture.

The home by Adam Kane Architects presents a minimalist new addition, neatly placed behind a humble gabled frontage – a friendly counterpart to an evolving streetscape. “Having occupied the original home for seven years, our clients had gained a fond attachment to the bones of the original architecture,” explains practice founder and project architect Adam Kane. “For a family with a couple of teenage kids, there was a strong desire to remember the history of the place, while setting the stage for the next exciting chapter.” The home deploys a clear delineation between old and new, bathed in a soothing palette of natural tonal hues and elevated by reconceptualised period details.

Traversing a pathway of generous concrete steppers, one is instantly enveloped in a verdant oasis of hardy vegetation before arriving at a deep veranda of timber decking and crisp white fenestration. Weatherboard, stippled plaster and slate tile suggests a robust home of a timeless quality, reaching out in a familiar embrace. Inside the compact foyer, a curvilinear stair extends skyward to the children’s domain, drenched in daylight from a generous rooftop aperture. A study, lounge and bedrooms surround this central gesture, flanked by amenities of a shared resolve. The humblest of rooms contain sculptural fixtures against framed vignettes to the garden beyond. “Embellishments and details are reinvented throughout these rooms – respecting original proportions but in a distinctly contemporary style,” adds Kane.

With every room, a unique vista draws the eye outward, framing everchanging artworks that move with the seasons.

A glazed central link signals the transition from old to new, where burnished concrete floors permeate into the outdoor realm. Blackened zinc surfaces adorn the extension both inside and out, acting as a peripheral backdrop to focal pieces such as the sculptural kitchen and linear fireplace that bookend the communal space. Light grey Elba marble instils fluid striations that serve as prominent touchstones to everyday family life, softened by gently rounded upstands to echo the former villa. “Each selection comes together as part of a holistic narrative for the home – furniture, lighting, objects and artwork – ensuring every element has real intention,” says Kane.

Radiating outward from the living pavilion, glazed doors slide away for a seamless transition to a private sanctuary. To the west, a covered loggia invites long afternoons of alfresco dining and leisurely play amid a compact outdoor arena. A lap pool hugs the eastern edge from doorstep to boundary – discreetly sheltered by thriving vegetation yet intrinsically connected to the harbour beyond. With every room, a unique vista draws the eye outward, framing everchanging organic artworks that move with the seasons.

The home deploys a clear delineation between old and new, bathed in a soothing palette of natural tonal hues and elevated by reconceptualised period details.

Devised as a contemporary reinvention of an Edwardian home, Williamstown Residence breathes quiet simplicity and purposeful detailing into an established coastal neighbourhood. A sense of calm imbues this place through gentle hues and textures, amid a leafy garden enclave of rest and recreation.

Architecture and interior design by Adam Kane Architects. Landscape design by Bethany Williamson Landscape Architecture. Lighting by EST Lighting. Timber flooring by Made by Storey.