Reinvigorated Terrace

by SWG Studio

The project brief for the Reinvigorated Terrace by SWG Studio was to refurbish the original 1960’s interior of this home in the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn.

The original interior had never been altered in any way by the previous owners and SWG wanted to create a modern and contemporary open space living area for the new clients and their family.

The studio’s design concept for the renovation was to create a sense of a larger “apartment style” living space with most of the cost spent removing walls and providing a structure to support the existing roof above.

The existing original worn out mauve carpet was discarded and this was followed by the removal of the existing vinyl in the kitchen and laundry. This alteration was made necessary by the discovery of asbestos within the house.

Although SWG enjoyed the freedom to be creative, at the same time they also had a constrained budget as a challenge to create and achieve this modern and contemporary open space living area. Ultimately the studio was pleased to find the existing timber floor was in excellent condition and only needed sanding and varnishing.

The existing wallpapered and uneven walls and ceilings were removed and reconstructed with new walls and the ceiling was given layers of white paint to achieve a crisp contemporary sense of volume contrasting from the darker tone timber floor.

The studio continued the contrasting theme by applying a wood like laminate for the new extensive joinery to complement the existing Tasmanian oak timber floor. The use of the vivid white for the walls took several extra layers of paint in order to achieve a pure crisp white and expansive feel.

In step with the modern living needs the kitchen, dining and entertaining area were created in the new large space that resulted from the removal of walls. This allows the occupants to effectively entertain while also doing the preparation in the kitchen as there is no visual barrier any more.

The man-made materials such as a laminate product for the finish to the new joinery pieces helped SWG to keep the renovation within the budget. Led lighting throughout the spaces provides low maintenance and durability.

White sheer curtains were installed in front of narrow Venetian blinds to soften the existing window whilst accentuating the existing ceiling height.

Ultimately SWG Studio have reinvigorated the unexciting, worn out original 1960s villa unit into a “modern inner-city apartment” within the constrained budget.

To view more SWG Inspired Architecture and Interior Design Archives head to their TLP Designer Profile.        

Keep up to date with The Local Project’s latest interviews, project overviews, collections releases and more – view our TLP Articles & News.

Explore more design, interior & architecture archives in our TLP Archives Gallery.

The project brief for the Reinvigorated Terrace by SWG Studio was to refurbish the original 1960’s interior of this home in the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn.

The original interior had never been altered in any way by the previous owners and SWG wanted to create a modern and contemporary open space living area for the new clients and their family.

The studio’s design concept for the renovation was to create a sense of a larger “apartment style” living space with most of the cost spent removing walls and providing a structure to support the existing roof above.

The existing original worn out mauve carpet was discarded and this was followed by the removal of the existing vinyl in the kitchen and laundry. This alteration was made necessary by the discovery of asbestos within the house.

Although SWG enjoyed the freedom to be creative, at the same time they also had a constrained budget as a challenge to create and achieve this modern and contemporary open space living area. Ultimately the studio was pleased to find the existing timber floor was in excellent condition and only needed sanding and varnishing.

The existing wallpapered and uneven walls and ceilings were removed and reconstructed with new walls and the ceiling was given layers of white paint to achieve a crisp contemporary sense of volume contrasting from the darker tone timber floor.

The studio continued the contrasting theme by applying a wood like laminate for the new extensive joinery to complement the existing Tasmanian oak timber floor. The use of the vivid white for the walls took several extra layers of paint in order to achieve a pure crisp white and expansive feel.

In step with the modern living needs the kitchen, dining and entertaining area were created in the new large space that resulted from the removal of walls. This allows the occupants to effectively entertain while also doing the preparation in the kitchen as there is no visual barrier any more.

The man-made materials such as a laminate product for the finish to the new joinery pieces helped SWG to keep the renovation within the budget. Led lighting throughout the spaces provides low maintenance and durability.

White sheer curtains were installed in front of narrow Venetian blinds to soften the existing window whilst accentuating the existing ceiling height.

Ultimately SWG Studio have reinvigorated the unexciting, worn out original 1960s villa unit into a “modern inner-city apartment” within the constrained budget.

To view more SWG Inspired Architecture and Interior Design Archives head to their TLP Designer Profile.        

Keep up to date with The Local Project’s latest interviews, project overviews, collections releases and more – view our TLP Articles & News.

Explore more design, interior & architecture archives in our TLP Archives Gallery.