Love It or Hate It? Painted Brick

Likened to a "colonnaded Roman bath," the backyard pool is housed a room-like space.

“The upper level curved forms come from a desire to avoid a stepped building form – the curved form comes out to make a vertical street wall and also makes the space for 2 roof decks," explains Bright. " The curved forms gently turn the corner and allow spaces to flow and circulate easily. It’s not a hard corner and allows the form to gently shift direction.”

Some of the interior walls have been lined with plywood and painted white to complement the white-painted bricks.

The clients were looking to create a calm and comfortable space to retreat within, with moments of privacy and seclusion within the open plan.

The architects were looking to create a space that would reflect the client’s eclectic and playful sensibility, while also establishing a connection between the new living spaces and lush garden.

A vintage fridge at the top of the stairs is balanced by modern and industrial touches.

An Eames mid-century coat rack hangs in the kitchen looking onto the second dining room and storage hallway leading to two guest bedrooms.

From the street, the addition and light-filled living spaces remain hidden. The charm of the traditional cottage remains visible.

The alleyway facade reveals the contemporary addition with cedar-framed windows and a hardwood battened screen. The clerestory window glows at night behind the battens.

The main volume of the extension is constructed from offset Douglas fir battens painted blue and gray. This reflects the vertical lines and gray color of the ribbed render used in the extension to the side of the house.

Antonio inherited one of the 1960s chrome Orbit sconces by Robert Sonneman and bought the other at Home Union in Brooklyn.

An iconic First chair by Michele de Lucchi for Memphis sits under Antonio’s Rorschach paintings in the bedroom. "They're twins, made from an inkblot process," he says. When it came to buying the furniture he didn’t make, the architect thought about an adage from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: "Buy less, choose well, and make it last."

Arca is a study for the dining table and also reflects how color transitions on the floor. "I was experimenting with color combinations," says Antonio.

Antonio took down the wall between the living area and bedroom, then added an arch above the opening. The change in floor color from gray to pale blue also delineates the transition between spaces. He designed the built-in, arched mirror, too.

In the kitchen, lemon-yellow and mint-green cabinets complement the forest-green granite countertops. White overhead cabinets blend in with the white brick backdrop.

The dining area features a natural timber table and an eclectic collection of chairs, paired with simple, industrial light fixtures.