Middle Park House

by JTA Architects

This handsomely proportioned Victorian house has been restored and enlarged with new living spaces and first floor children’s wing added at the rear. With three kids, interstate visitors and working from home, the owners wanted to rework the house to suit their busy lives. The planning solution created a home with distinct zones; the owners’ bedroom, a guest room, and a study in the original part of the house and a new two storey addition at the rear accommodating a living space and children’s bedrooms on the first floor.

Added to zone the air conditioning and provide a noise buffer, a concealed glazed steel door separates the quieter parent’s zone from the hubbub of the rest of the house.

Part of the brief was for all parts of the house to be used in equal measures. For this to be achieved natural light had to be introduced into the dark centre spaces of the home. As the house is hemmed in by surrounding buildings new roof windows were designed to filter light in from above. A void located between the old and new parts of the house floods the interior with light throughout the day. Its ceiling follows the line of the original pitched roof and is pierced with a new structural beam and skylights. A box window punches out of the space and frames a textured brick wall outside. The void dramatically knits the old and new building together by revealing the history of the house placing them alongside the new interventions.

A soft and neutral material palette of pale timber, white walls and grey stone unify the interiors and provides the backdrop for the owners growing art collection. The handmade tiles used in the kitchen splash back are an artwork in themselves. Large sliding stacker doors connect the kitchen and living space to the rear garden. The first floor addition cantilevers over the building line below in a sculptural fashion.

The home provides a peaceful yet interesting environment for this busy family to grow in.