Having worked with the clients previously, we understood the rhythms of their family life and the way the house needed to change. The brief was not for a large addition, but for a more generous living space: one that could support the daily movement of two young children, reconnect the house to its rear garden, and bring a lighter, more open quality to an otherwise solid masonry dwelling.

A simple lightweight wedge was inserted into the rear of the existing house, abutting an established jacaranda tree and opening the living space toward a north-facing covered courtyard. The addition is deliberately distinct from the original double brick form. Where the existing house is heavy, enclosed and textured, the new work is light, precise and open.

Clad in cedar shingles, the new volume has a fine modular grain that quietly echoes the texture of the original brickwork without imitating it. This relationship between old and new gives the addition its character: familiar in scale and material rhythm, but clearly contemporary in construction and atmosphere.

The wedge is shaped to draw light deep into the plan. Two horizontal bands of frameless glass face east, each framing a different aspect of the garden. A high band captures the frangipani canopy and changing sky, while a lower band brings the immediate garden into view from within the living space. Together, they turn a previously dark interior into a room animated by light, shadow, foliage and the passing day.

At the centre of the remodelled ground floor, the kitchen acts as the pivot of family life. Positioned between the living and dining areas, it anchors the daily routines of cooking, gathering and supervision. Pantry and fridge functions are concealed behind a wall of custom joinery, allowing the room to remain calm and uncluttered despite the intensity of family use.

House Flower is an example of how a modest addition can transform the way an existing house is lived in. Rather than overwhelm the original building, the new work plugs into it lightly, creating contrast, clarity and a renewed connection to garden, light and family life.

Location: Como NSW

Project Type: Alterations and Additions under 200m2

Completed: 2020

Builder: Build by Design

Engineering: Greenview Consulting

Photography: Andy Macpherson