Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Life Down A Lane
Tom Ross

Life Down A Lane

Life Down A Lane is exactly that: a home for the daily life of a family, strengthened by security and softened by greenery, in the inner-urban heartland of Richmond.

Providing a refuge from the laneway outside, the floorplan elevates the living-dining-kitchen area to achieve more sunlight and privacy. A central outdoor space is the focal point of the home, with spaces configured to look inward.

photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross

While living spaces are on the first floor, the ground is dedicated to bedrooms — a master with an ensuite and two child bedrooms with a shared bathroom — with the courtyard as a buffer between these two zones. Large, full-width pivot doors allow the courtyard to flow through the full depth of the site.

photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross

In contrast to the monochromatic external palette, the interiors are composed of calming, lighter tones. White painted brick and a polished concrete floor provide a subtle texture and solidity in the bedrooms, upstairs the finishes are warmer with timber veneer joinery and floors. A popped ceiling, roof lantern and clerestory windows flood these communal family spaces with additional sunlight.

photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross

A dramatic full-height window on the east also allows views of the laneway and treetops of surrounding gardens. Life Down A Lane is both efficiently planned and unexpectedly open. A place to grow.

photo_credit Tom Ross
Tom Ross
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