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art house – bespoke architecture to accommodate art works

A renovation and extension to the rear of a heritage Victorian house in Yarraville, Melbourne. The project is an example of a cost‑efficient transformation of a Victorian dwelling, offering a refreshing environment that maximizes space and light in an inner‑city home and demonstrates environmentally sustainable design. Timber and colour have been used widely, creating spaces that encourage expressive and creative daily living for the clients — now and for generations to come.

The brief required a better connection to the outdoors, space for artworks, and accommodation for a young family. The design solution involved removing the worn late rear addition and replacing it with a simple timber‑wrapped “box‑like” extension.

A custom timber‑cladding system was developed as a modern interpretation of traditional weatherboards, offering a warm interplay of light and shade when viewed from the rear garden. The client was able to apply, paint, and maintain the external skin of the building in a cost‑effective manner.

This new element is physically and visually separate from the existing structure — a deliberate effort to respect the past while offering a new design approach. Internally, a simplified material palette — consisting of light‑coloured reflective surfaces and natural timbers — was introduced to lighten and brighten the new environment, creating a restful, unified atmosphere.