LIGHT touch

Every inch of this redesigned Californian bungalow was considered to improve its functionality and the overall enjoyment for its owners.

- Stephanie Hope

"It's always nice when a client says their home feels like a hotel that's been specifically designed for them," says Chris Trotta of architecture studio Litera Trotta. "We know we've done our job well when they wake up every day and absolutely love where they live."

Such is the case for Rhiannon and Andrew, the owners of this reinvigorated Californian bungalow in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, who remember the original home as having "lots of small rooms not suited to modern-day living. There was a bulky staircase in the middle of the living room, and more stairs down to the back garden, making it very difficult to entertain."

Chris and his co-founding partner Bronwyn Litera rectified these problems with a series of additions and alterations that opened the home to bring in natural light and increase the floor space to accommodate extra bedrooms for the couple's two children, Archie, four, and Piper, one. In essence, taking it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. "Aside from the functional brief, Andrew and Rhiannon wanted a home that elevated their lifestyles - a home that makes them feel like every day is a holiday," says Chris.

Entering from the street, a hallway illuminated by a half-moon skylight leads to a small set of steps that lead to an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. "Bringing the house down to ground level has opened up the space completely, making the backyard an extension of our living area and so conducive to entertaining," says Rhiannon.