Smart Design Studio was engaged to breathe new life into a grand Victorian terrace in Sydney’s Paddington. Central to the transformation was the conversion of an existing single-storey garage into a contemporary infill structure that houses a spacious stair and lift connecting all five levels of the home.
To the rear, the street level slab has been removed to create an airy double-height space with deep brick reveals that shade the tall steel framed doors. The courtyard adjacent accommodates a garden, splash pool and storage shed, while maintaining rear lane accessed garaging.
Expand ContentBrick was the natural choice for the new addition as a sensitive response to the Paddington streetscape. Italian Corso bricks complement the painted rendered walls of the terraces yet read as wholly contemporary. They also have the requisite softness to create a dialogue between the separate forms. The new brickwork is held apart from the existing masonry by a strip of glazing running between the two elements. Cast iron and zinc detailing completes the picture, creating another link from past to present.
Utilised primarily as a living and dining space with a sleek kitchen, the tall proportions of the main room provide exceptional hanging walls for the client’s key artworks. Waxed rendered walls, terrazzo tiling and oak timber flooring bring texture and richness to the dramatic architecture, colourful paintings and monochromatic furnishings.
Detail is always of importance, with every room given the same consideration of materiality and connection to the overriding concept. The ensuite, for example, houses a pair of freestanding marble boxes that sit within the traditional room, bringing functionality and enclosure to the different areas of the bathroom. The cornices, architraves and skirting have been retained and the perimeter ‘heritage walls’ are lined with Corian where required or left as a painted finish elsewhere to imbue a traditional and elegant feeling to the space.
The juxtaposition between contemporary elements and heritage details is bold, confident and functional. These elements give the house its unique character while simultaneously ensuring it is a very comfortable family home for years to come.
2023 Winner AIA NSW Architecture Award Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
