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A Streamlined Addition Serves a Family of Four in AustraliaView 11 Photos

A Streamlined Addition Serves a Family of Four in Australia

Thomas + Williams Architects sow simplicity with an artful combination of concrete, oak, steel, and prefabricated panels in Port Melbourne, Victoria.
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The owners of this heritage home in Port Melbourne, Australia, approached Thomas + Williams Architects to demolish a 25-year-old addition and replace it with something that would better serve their family of four. The new, two-story addition to the 1800s-era home now hosts two new children’s bedrooms and a playroom upstairs, and a new living hub below.

"The challenge was to get the best light into the living areas," say the architects. "So, we employed a full-height wall of glass to the northwest with two large sliding panels of glass, to create a diluted boundary between inside and outside."

"The challenge was to get the best light into the living areas," say the architects. "So, we employed a full-height wall of glass to the northwest with two large sliding panels of glass, to create a diluted boundary between inside and outside."

With the floor plan in place, the design brief was to keep the interior details simple. The architects responded by combining concrete, oak, prefabricated panels, and steel in thoughtful ways throughout. "It is a small site, so it was important to keep all design elements as simple as possible," say the architects.

A modest polished concrete slab floor with hydronic in-slab heating anchors the new, open-concept living spaces.

A modest polished concrete slab floor with hydronic in-slab heating anchors the new, open-concept living spaces.

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The fireplace feature wall has a concrete hearth, oak paneling, and wall-mounted cabinetry with pre-finished door slabs from New Age Veneers in the "Ravenswood" finish. A steel box integrated to the side of the fireplace stores wood, and glass walls make the most of the small site.

The fireplace feature wall has a concrete hearth, oak paneling, and wall-mounted cabinetry with pre-finished door slabs from New Age Veneers in the "Ravenswood" finish. A steel box integrated to the side of the fireplace stores wood, and glass walls make the most of the small site.

A staircase with floating oak stair treads and a continuous steel railing goes up to the second floor. The cupboards on the left are fronted with the same "Ravenswood" panels, and a skylight floods the space with light.

A staircase with floating oak stair treads and a continuous steel railing goes up to the second floor. The cupboards on the left are fronted with the same "Ravenswood" panels, and a skylight floods the space with light.

Oak and concrete meet a substantial marble countertop and backsplash in the kitchen.

Oak and concrete meet a substantial marble countertop and backsplash in the kitchen.

A bank of pantry cabinets are clad in the "Ravenswood" panels to disguise sleek, black appliances.

A bank of pantry cabinets are clad in the "Ravenswood" panels to disguise sleek, black appliances.

A detailed shot inside the pantry shows how it corrals counter clutter and hides small appliances.

A detailed shot inside the pantry shows how it corrals counter clutter and hides small appliances.

In a bathroom, charcoal walls echo the darker finish of the prefabricated panels elsewhere, and a skylight makes the small space feel bigger.

In a bathroom, charcoal walls echo the darker finish of the prefabricated panels elsewhere, and a skylight makes the small space feel bigger.

Oak cabinetry topped with marble continues the kitchen's themes in a bathroom.

Oak cabinetry topped with marble continues the kitchen's themes in a bathroom.

Part of the project involved refurbishing the heritage part of the home. Old brickwork meets new oak joinery fabricated by COS Interiors, who were responsible for all of the home's new woodwork.

Part of the project involved refurbishing the heritage part of the home. Old brickwork meets new oak joinery fabricated by COS Interiors, who were responsible for all of the home's new woodwork.

The architects suggested fitting in a new pool in the yard, much to the delight of the owners' children.

The architects suggested fitting in a new pool in the yard, much to the delight of the owners' children.

Project Credits:

Architects: Stuart Williams & Andrew Bristow from Thomas & Williams Architects (@architects_tw) 

Builder: Appetite for Construction 

Joinery: COS Interiors

Tiling: Greenstone Tiling

Landscaping: Gourlay Landscaping 

Photographer: Hilary Bradford (@hilarybradfordphotography) 

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Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

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