Middle Park House

by Chiverton Architects

The owners of this single fronted Victorian house in Middle Park, Melbourne, contacted Architect Barnaby Chiverton to open the space up at the back of their house and add a couple of bedrooms. The house is hemmed in by neighbouring buildings and an earlier renovation constricted the space at the back of the house leaving it dark and claustrophobic. The key to the solution was to bring light and space into the interior. This was achieved by orientating the house around a central void. “I felt that by breaking up the upper floor and cantilevering the study over the garden we could create a central hub around this volume” notes Chiverton.

The hallway stretches down the building and a linear skylight runs along its length. The light pouring into the building is filtered through a perforated walkway that floats over exposed beams. Another skylight slot sits over the kitchen. The upper floor is treated as a black timber element that hovers over the structure. This effect is carried through to the island bench that seems to float over the pale oak floor and at a daybed that sits over the pool. The original house was restored bringing back many of the original Victorian features and this mix of new and old has created a light-filled home that feels calm, spacious and relaxed to be in.