Self-professed design and artwork fanatic Rachael Coghlan first fell in love with the Nineteen Seventies townhouses in Wybalena Grove again in 2002.
‘The beautiful architectural traces, a pure color palette and richly textured supplies have been all nestled in bushland, tucked away from surrounding suburbia however lower than 10 minutes from the town,’ Rachael says.
‘My path operating buddies joke that I manifested my home at Wybalena Grove, which I lastly bought 20 years after I first noticed it. Every time we caught a glimpse of Wybalena Grove as we explored the paths on close by Mt Painter and Black Mountain, I’d inform them I used to be going to dwell there sooner or later.’
The distinctive townhouses have been designed by Michael Dysart as a cooperative housing growth by a bunch of residents from Canberra’s north, who pooled their sources to create the 105 semi-detached dwellings pushed by a deep respect for the encircling surroundings. Shared areas like gardens and playgrounds additionally championed a ‘utopian’ imaginative and prescient for shared, community-driven dwelling.
Each featured a split-level flooring plan, and fortuitously, the house Rachael bought had largely maintained its integrity over time. Nonetheless, its thermal efficiency and interiors have been due for an replace.
She engaged Sonder Architects to deal with the townhouse to a respectful retro revival, with out turning it right into a ‘Nineteen Seventies pastiche’.
Follow principal Claire Reece ensured lots of the authentic options have been restored, together with the open-tread timber stair and the quirky loft, which has been reworked right into a sun-filled front room on the higher flooring.
Rather than the prevailing ‘patchwork’ of varied flooring supplies, new caramel-toned tallow wooden timber now traces the residence, whereas the fireside and kitchen have been additionally upgraded, taking inspiration from Rachael’s love of Australian artwork.
‘The pink hues within the kitchen have been chosen to reference the bushland setting and Cressida Campbell’s artwork. The Mutina Din tiles allowed for a small rectangular format, which echoes the unique tiling of the Wybalena townhouses,’ Claire says.
Within the lavatory, a equally playful method combines bushland-inspired greens with a deep-tiled bathtub, which has turn into considered one of Rachael’s most cherished areas.
But the true standout stays the upstairs dwelling space: ‘Regardless of which path I look — to the kitchen, the fireside, the loft, or the large and altering northern skies — I see magnificence, color, nature, geometry, artwork and delight.’
The refreshed dwelling not solely sparks pleasure, however efficiently merges the unique ethos for Wybalena Grove with at present’s fashionable period, guaranteeing it’ll stay revered in years to return.
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