This project comprises substantial alterations and additions to a two storey Federation Arts and Crafts residence, set well back from the street and partially obscured by a high solid boundary wall. Located in the dress circle location of the roadway loop of Elizabeth Bay Road, this substantial free-standing single residence is located within a diverse and dense urban character, comprising early villas, terrace houses, grand houses such as Elizabeth Bay House, Boomerang, Ashton, Kincoppal and Tresco, and twentieth century residential flat buildings. obscured by a high solid boundary wall.
Smart Design Studio’s design principles included the retention and restoration of the existing principal building form from the street, removing unsympathetic later rear additions, and creating a contemporary rear addition which is not visible from the street, respecting the character of the heritage conservation area. This double height addition houses a light filled kitchen and family room at ground level, overlooked by a study within a sculpted mezzanine level above dining. An additional bedroom is in the attic of this rear pavilion, opening out on to a roof terrace with sweeping views of Rushcutters Bay Park. There is a basement with a separate entry complete with an oak wine cellar, laundry, and gym.
A seemingly frameless single pane of glass slides back, opening onto a pond/ pool with a single tree at the centre. This black granite waterbody runs the length of the rear elevation reflecting the sharp lines of the minimalist addition. The sliding doors, which divide inside from out, are framed within a folded steel portal expressed externally. This motif is repeated throughout the house with profiled heritage timber architraves acting to frame each of the original internal door openings while doorways in the new extension are more minimalist in approach in Corian and poly.
Tall windows separate the rear pavilion from the existing heritage home, flooding light into the original part of the house. Formerly two apartments, the plan has been substantially rationalised with rooms opening off a central axis at ground and second levels. The existing staircase has been retained and painted glossy white, with a waterfall art silk carpet lining the treads. On the upper level, a suspended steel stair provides a counterpoint to the heritage feeling, a long skylight overhead highlighting its sculptural form.
New finishes and details have been selected to complement and enhance the architecture. Picture railings have been reinstated in the formal sitting and dining rooms, and the corridors are lined with white linen panelling. The panelling conceals two doors, one to a glamourous powder room, the other leading down to the basement. Waxed render features in the new and old sections of the house, on the ceilings in the existing part, and the mezzanine of the pavilion extension. A Vagli marble wall in the all-white kitchen echoes the dramatic contemporary artwork in the house.
