ATTIC MAGIC honours a child’s imagination, with a joyful roof space renovation atop a Melbourne heritage home. Sparking delight at every scale, it celebrates the minds of the two children who inhabit it, while reimagining the humble attic as a dreamscape to the stars.
What is the conceptual framework of AtticMagic?
From the outset, the client’s children inform the design concept: imagine rising into the clouds and opening each door to a fantastical skyscape of colour and fun, and then returning from each private space down to earth.
Children are whole complex beings with rich lives that remind us that there’s something exciting about breaking the rules.
In this case, we broke the rules of attic typology. We transformed something typically associated with storage into a very special space, rethinking the renovation as not just an add-on, but something that sits beautifully within the fabric of the existing house.
Then, a distinct language for each room (chamfers and angles versus smooth surfaces and curves) featuring unapologetically bold colour and exciting design through to the smallest scale - from day beds to desks, to joinery, loose furniture and upholstery.
We continued the project externally where the roof and its structure were replaced and restored in line with the owners wishes and strict heritage guidelines.
Purple, green & grey slate were sourced from abroad and configured in a “random” pattern to meet the formal heritage requirements so that when viewed from the street, the house appeared to remain unchanged and in original condition.
What is the clients brief for AtticMagic?
The brief was to use the existing, underutilised attic space to create two bedrooms with ensuites, walk-in robes and study areas, giving over the entire zone to the client’s two children.
Challenged by its cavernous but awkward volume, plus heritage constraints, the project uses light cleverly, nooks and ‘leftover’ space imaginatively and finishes selectively to achieve generous spaces beyond what the clients required.
Every finish and scale sing together while harmonising with the existing heritage house.
Discuss the contributions of others to AtticMagic
Working closely with the builder was key to having this project realised, particularly when the client occupied the house during construction.
Structural and services zones were negotiated to maximise habitable attic space, and a high level of craftsmanship was brought to all the external detailing.
On the inside, we worked closely with the cabinet maker and upholsterer to extend the detailed design language through the day beds, study desks, bed heads, bedside tables and the curving ‘trinket tower’.
To top it off, fantastical bedroom door handles by a local sculptor add to the overall playfulness of the design.
What is the context of Attic Magic
There are 2 contexts to “Attic Magic”.
Externally, the existing Arts & Crafts 1930’s house is located at the centre of an inner urban cul-de-sac. It’s street elevation is dominated by a central projecting full height limestone gable wall and a welsh slate roof, giving the building an enduring presence.
Internally, the attic “extension” takes on a dreamlike quality, extending from the existing two lower levels that were not touched by the renovation. A new connecting stair between the levels becomes a space to both draw upon the existing period language, and a space to transition from the conventional.
How does AtticMagic contribute to the lives of the inhabitants
In giving over the previously underutilised roof zone to the family’s two youngest children, it provided all children in the family with their own space; a space that will be with them as they grow.
Equally as important, the children became client. They were both sitting at the table as collaborators and became fundamental in driving the design process.
We wished to respect each child’s ideas, and this is expressed through the interior design across every scale and finish: as you ascend into the space from the stairs, to the forms and colour materiality of each bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom.
