The Lady Beetle House is a renovation of a federation bungalow in a relatively mixed neighbourood of apartment buildings and individual houses in Randwick only a short stroll to Coogee Beach.

The distinct lady beetle shaped letterbox is the talk of the neighbourhood and so it was retained and became the name of the house as it also delineates the bright, garden filled nature of the new design.

The existing building had an enclosed verandah that was exposed and celebrated to enhance the entry and the street appeal of the house. A new two storey brick addition was added at the rear. Set back from the façade so as not to be easily read from the street. A volumous space over the new kitchen is enhanced by white painted brick concrete beams and timber framed windows that peer into the canopy of the existing trees and control the light.

A timber lined window seat frames the view to the garden from the new living area. The dining room sits against an exposed brick wall of the original house adding texture into the depth of the plan.

The new staircase is a curved element linking the new spaces while at the same time concealing the utilitarian laundry and pantry spaces. The curved two storey volume of the stair is exposed and celebrated in the kitchen area with shutters that open to the small study space above.

A roof garden sits over the covered outdoor eating area and brings the garden closer to the new master bedroom on the first floor. The new addition is read from the rear yard as a solid element with deep timber lined shady recesses.