This house is a reinterpretation of the traditional cottage in a high density, inner city suburb of Sydney.

The brief was to add to the small existing cottage and create a generous family home that was both a functional response to the specifics of the family’s patterns of living while also developing a refined simplicity to dwell.

An external palette of rustic face brick and form-lined concrete responds to the solidity and massing of surrounding terraces. The deep, narrow columns to the rear create framed thresholds to large pivot doors, which retreat under the angled concrete planter awning.

This element becomes the transition zone between the internal and external. The original and the new addition are mediated by a central unfolding timber box that houses the stairs, storage and utilities. This element forms a strong grounding hub between the old and new forms.