Queens Park by Downie North is a kind of houses that expertly balances type and performance.
Having been added to and altered because it was first constructed, the Federation-era Sydney home by no means felt fairly proper for the house owners — Bob, Nicole and daughter, Grace — who had lived there for just a few years earlier than deciding it was time to deal with the constructing to a renovation of their very own.
‘It had endured a collection of uninspired and tepid alterations throughout its life,’ Downie North director Daniel North says of the house.
‘Because the north dealing with semi of the row, the positioning provided the opportunity of opening up and wrapping round what can be a sun-filled backyard, so this started our considering of a backyard that unrolled alongside the brand new additions.’
Whereas they retained the 2 bedrooms on the entrance of the home, the remaining was fully redesigned. Downstairs, the dwelling areas curve across the courtyard, with sliding doorways and considerate particulars like a picture-frame window that additional carry the outside in.
These new openings create a collection of extra areas, making the 137-square-metre floorplan appear even bigger than it’s. And the ensuing format truly drew inspiration from Bob and Nicole’s love of the coast.
‘We talked rather a lot with them about how a home can reply to the various eventualities and scenes of life, be it a celebration or a quiet time to take a seat with a cup of tea,’ Daniel says.
‘The design borrowed from the close by seashore headlands the place the sandstone cliffs have been sculpted out by the ocean and the wind. You get these undercrofts and outcrops which can be nice locations to take a seat and pause.’
The outside reveals uncovered brick and timber-screened home windows, with Daniel saying they ‘didn’t need the home to draw consideration to itself’.
Inside although, they took the chance to play with texture and color. Japanese ceramic ground tiles set the bottom for the interiors, layered with pops of tangerine on the joinery, mustard-coloured accents, and pure timbers to create an inviting ‘golden glow’.
A brand new second-storey was constructed on high of the prevailing footprint, reworking what was initially a examine within the attic to create a brand new child’s bed room and foremost bed room, which now captures picturesque views of the town.
The renovation has efficiently unlocked the home’s untapped potential, turning it right into a joyful household dwelling — simply in time for the couple to welcome their second youngster, as a result of be born this month!
