An Australian Builder’s Cramped Family Cottage Gets an Industrial-Inspired Extension

In Melbourne’s Newport suburb, OOF! Architecture leads a skillful remodel packed with playful surprises like exposed trusses, a gantry walkway, and a hidden dog tunnel.

Text by

Grace Bernard

Published by

Dwell

Photos by

Tatjana Plitt

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After running his construction company for nearly 20 years, Anthony Adams finally took on one of the few projects he’d never tried before: renovating his own home. Together with Australian studio OOF! Architecture, Anthony, a builder, and his wife, Natasha, a dietician, set out to update their "sweet but cramped weatherboard cottage" into a home, warehouse, and workshop for their three sons and two beloved dogs.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

Located on a quiet street in the Newport suburb of Melbourne, the home’s traditional exterior is preserved from the street view, revealing only a hint of the bold, new extension that peeks out from behind it.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

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The rear facade, however, showcases one of the renovation’s most notable features: an exposed steel truss that transitions from a robust orange to a demure blue as it extends out from the interior into the backyard. The raw material palette of timber, reclaimed brick, and perforated steel add to the home’s industrial character.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

Ample space to work from home was a key priority for both Anthony and Natasha. The couple also wanted a balance of areas to gather with friends and spend time alone. One design solution is the home’s split-level arrangement, which establishes a continuous, shared living space punctured by a perforated-steel staircase. The stairs connect the ground floor to the gantry walkway, which extends through the open trusses overlooking the main communal areas.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

"All of the home’s shared activity spaces are open to each other but gently screened so the family can have their own spaces and yet still be together," says architect Fooi-Ling Khoo, the firm’s director. A second strategy was incorporated into the kitchen pantry design, which Anthony crafted using Victorian ash timber. The pantry "adds storage and workspace, while its openness allows it to be the central control station of the house," Fooi adds.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

The spirit of the renovation reflects the family’s busy lifestyle and love for various creative pursuits such as building, cooking, gardening, and scouring thrift shops. Several of the owners’ favorite vintage finds are built into the house, including an antique train station clock in the kitchen and an illuminated ice cream sign in the dining area.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt

The family’s dogs come and go freely through a custom tunnel hidden inside a built-in timber bench in the dining area. A custom orange Paddle Pop range hood hovers over a farmhouse stove accented by blue plywood cabinets.

Photo by Tatjana Plitt