Projects

Blairgowrie
A renovation to a 1980’s holiday house
A contemporary take on a ‘modern Hamptons-style’
Updating a low maintenance holiday home
Paired back with a sense of comfort + style

Gooch Street Thornbury –

An Alteration + Addition to an Interwar Cottage

 

Tetris/Tetra
“An endeavor involving rearranging things of different shape into a physical space. “ noun. From the Greek – tettares, meaning four
A family of four (+ a doggo) 
Four new rooms.
Four different materials.

 

Hove Road Rosebud –

An Interior Alteration  to a 1990’s coastal home

 

Our clients had purchased the home over 20 years ago and were keen to revamp its interior and create a modern contemporary home. A cooks kitchen was re-designed on the upper floor, with a pantry created out of a redundant hallway. Warm walnut joinery offers a contrast to the crisp white cabinetry.

Caesarstone Benches for the island and cooking areas and a low height breakfast bar. The bar was given an overhaul and hidden from view via ‘brise-soleil’ walnut veneer fins and shelving. Finally, a main family bathroom with a feature wall of cracked feature tiles. New stairs and under stair storage solve the age old renovation problem.

A much loved ‘ugly duckling’ home with a spectacular bay views.

‘At Home ‘ Herald Sun, May 2021

Rennie Street Thornbury –

An Alteration + Addition to a Californian Bungalow

The project is an alteration and addition in the northern suburb of Thornbury. The existing house built after World War One in the suburb’s pre-dominant ‘Californian Bungalow’ – style and is one of many distinct plans created by the State Savings Bank Scheme after World War One.
The project takes it’s cue from the lean-to form common to homes of this era, in which  service rooms and open verandah spaces are located at the rear under a skillion roof addition  pitched down low and leant against an east west gable roof line.
The new ‘lean-to’ addition stretches across the block from western boundary to eastern access pathway allowing for a new articulated northern elevation.     
Two window seats face the garden.
Rennie Street is a highly personalised alteration arranged with care for its inhabitants.

 

Cameron Street Coburg – 

An Alteration + Addition to an Edwardian Cottage

 A two-storey alteration + addition to an interwar timber cottage for a family of three. The brief required the front three rooms and existing hallway to remain with a two storey addition placed to the rear. A careful consideration of the existing east/west site and a train line to its rear meant a considered design strategy that would allow light to enter the interior spaces but remain private to its neighbours. The upper floors reflect the planning constraints, reveals itself as a cranked form, and are clad in Cemintel sheeting. The material selection reflects the desire for the client to have a house that would be pared back and be low maintenance. The project required some rather extensive value management to ensure that it came in within budget. 

 

Glyndebourne Avenue Toorak

– An alteration to a Burley Griffin Knitlock Cottage to an Existing Edwardian Cottage

 

 Designed in 1922 by Walter Burley Griffin  + Marion Mahony Griffin for Thomas Salter, the Salter House was built using the Griffin’s patented system known as ‘Knitlock’, a modular system of interlocking ’tiles’ that were intended to be both aesthetic + cost effective. Our clients bought the property in January 2018 with a view to its careful restoration. The brief was to alow the house to reveal itself through its unique structure , materiality and context. Our response was to update the environmental + sustainable attributes of the original house through carefully considered interanl and external interventions. This was achieved by only doing what was necessary and retaining as much of Walter + Marion’s original intentions. True to the Arts + Crafts philosophy, the home has been thoughtfully embedded in a revamped native setting by landscape architect, Sam Cox. It is a return to a similar style of garden that was created by well-known landscaper Gordon Ford, who was a mentor to our landscaper Sam Cox. 

 

Stansell Street Kew

– An Alteration + Addition to an Existing Edwardian Cottage

 

We were approached to complete a full interior and exterior renovation to our client’s home of more than 25 years. The project became an alteration, addition and restoration of their 1918 Edwardian timber cottage. The existing living room became a new bathroom and powder room.
 

 

The remaining two bedrooms were updated increasing insulation and sustainability.
A simple rear L-shaped addition contains the new combined kitchen/dining/living rooms.
Finally, a deck and custom pergola utilising the demolished timber from the house frames + completes the addition.

Herbert Street Northcote

– An Alteration + Addition to an Edwardian Terrace

 

Our clients have loved living in the inner suburb of Northcote for many years. It was time to revamp the interiors and remove the 1980’s addition. The brief called for a small addition, with a tight budget and a space + place for everything.
 
 
 
The result is a blue and green tinted jewel comprising of a new dining/kitchen addition and a small functional single bathroom inserted into the fabric of the existing lounge. We utilised the light that enters via the top fixed glazed panels that wrap around the bathroom walls.


Norton Road Kallista Mount Dandenong –

Alterations to an Existing Timber Weatherboard Country Cottage

 

After an escape from inner-city life our clients bought this baby blue timber cottage with the view to modernising its interior and added a north facing deck and pergola to increase their outdoor space. We re-organised a series of mix matched alterations during its previous 60 years. Externally, we clad the addition in Shadowclad paneling painted in Dulux ‘Domino’ answering the brief from our clients for a ‘simple black box’ to compliment their baby blue cottage.

 

Completed in association with architect + artist Deb Kunda.

The main bathroom is decorated in an ‘artwall’ of cleverly and considered coloured tiles with define the space. Finally, we re-orientated the living/dining spaces to connect to an expanded deck connecting to the adjacent garden + landscape.

Copyright 2022 – Architect Hewson

 

G20a /28-30 Curzon Street West Melbourne Victoria 3003 m > 0419 158 652 e > info@architecthewson.com

 

     Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
Our office acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which we work + live.
We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.