LAYERS of INTRIGUE

Rationalising a century of alterations and forging a coherent design language for this heritage cottage effected a vibrant, contemporary family home.

- JUDY PASCOE

On the surface the brief for the renovation of this 1880s sandstone house on a battleaxe block on Sydney's lower north shore might have seemed overwhelming. With a longtime series of additions and alterations the major task was to unify the different ages and layers of the house, removing unwanted elements and streamlining materiality, as well as provide flexible, robust spaces for a blended family that includes young and adult children, and elderly parents, and create a better connection with the pool and outdoor areas.

For Melonie Bayl-Smith, director of Bijl Architecture, who was engaged for the project, there were several hurdles, including navigating council approvals, the state of the original sandstone, site access and the relationship to neighbouring dwellings. The result is a triumph, a home Melonie describes as "relaxed, calm and reflective a harmonious composition of contemporary architecture and heritage building fabric, where texture, light and space form a warm backdrop to everyday life".

Owners Sascha and Steve had lived in the home for a few months before contacting Melonie, an acquaintance and subsequent friend who had bonded with Sascha over a shared love of art and architecture. The heritage property had good bones but was tired and lacked any worthy decorative detail. In addition their family required a different configuration of spaces to achieve a 'good fit'.

Over the years starting from the 1920s the house had undergone several poorly executed additions in a variety of materials which needed to be consolidated with "clean lines and a sophisticated materials palette", says Melonie. "The aim was to make the house more liveable by improving the overall spatial qualities with consideration for natural lighting and ventilation, orientation, passive heating and cooling," she continues.