The Terrace

by Winwood McKenzie Architecture

This is a compact 1970s inner city townhouse converted into a new modern light filled space.

Thomas Winwood Architecture have created a peaceful and highly functional home which reflects a tactile and finely detailed modernist aesthetic. The design resulted in a seamless transition between old and new.

Inspired by the honesty of materials and detailing typical of Australian mid-century design, owner of the house wished for a space which reflected the character and feel of mid-century Australian modernism.

As the home was of compact size, the use of pale woods and insertion of tall windows was used to open up the home to create a warming and light filled space throughout. This included subtle yet effective changes to the existing openings allow light to enter into the centre of the house dramatically altering the quality of light in the interior.

A new oak timber batten ceiling and slate floor was added giving the house a more honest and durable like character.

Exquisite and finely detailed brass handrails to the staircase adds a level of drama and quality and catches the western sun as it comes through the first-floor window into the centre of the ground floor.

Three external spaces, a carefully designed kitchen and new bathroom create spaces that defy the limitations of the original house, subtly drawing the interior out and exterior in. At the top of the stairs a timber lined roof deck provides city views and surprising external space on a small block.

This rejuvenated 1970s home enriches the character of a previously unremarkable building.

The design improves the lives of the inhabitants and continues a tradition of poetic Australian modernist architecture. The result is a home where no detail was over looked, and functionality greatly approved.

Photography by Fraser Marsden.

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