Drawn To The Light
A neglected inner-Melbourne home ups the ante with a well-considered renovation.
Pia Abrahams and her husband Michael Boltman were keen to remain in St Kilda when they were searching for a family home. Both had grown up in the area and have relatives nearby. However, while the position of their new abode, a traditional California bungalow, was perfect, the house was less than desirable. “It hadn’t been lived in for years,” says Michael. “The windows were blacked out and you couldn’t see the back fence for the trees.”
Location box ticked, the couple began to focus on the extensive work required. Yes, there were charming 1920s leadlight windows and stucco walls, but the kitchen was a rudimentary addition and the one bathroom was original and basic. “We had to make a number of improvements before the house was liveable, but knew it would be worth it,” says Pia, referring to the potential of the generous 800m2 site, facing north at the back.
The couple, who have three children – Freya, 17, Ravi, 15, and Theo, 13 – lived in the house for nine years before they engaged Clare Cousins Architects to rework it. “I loved the home’s bay windows and leadlight glass, but there was a lot to do,” says principal architect Clare, who put the entrance’s cracked terrazzo floor and 1950s awning on the to-do list, along with the 1930s lean-to at the rear, which blocked light and access to the garden.
In the end, Clare completely removed the lean-to and added a light-filled contemporary wing clad in recycled red bricks. It comprises the open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas, framed by four large sliding glass doors and steel-framed windows, with a slightly raked ceiling over the living room. This room looks to the garden on one side and a courtyard with the old house beyond on the other. “We wanted to strengthen the connection to the original part of the house, but allow for a variety of spaces – indoors and out – that the family could use,” she says.
The couple’s brief for the kitchen was unusual in that it left out overhead cupboards .“Not having cup boards above the benches can be quite liberating,” says Clare, who created a neutral backdrop of white-painted bagged brick instead. A large adjacent pantry reduces kitchen clutter even further. Style-wise, Pia and Michael
wanted a modern look that wasn’t too clinical. While Clare chose concrete for the benches and floors, using blackbutt timber for the ceiling and joinery has balanced any perceived coolness.
One of the dilemmas faced by many who renovate and extend period homes is the allocation of bedrooms. Some retain and enhance the original main bedroom and create a new children’s wing, but in this case Clare kept the original three bedrooms for the children and added a first-floor retreat for the parents. From the upper deck, Michael and Pia now have views of Port Phillip Bay and, on occasion, whales. “If we have friends over for dinner, we love coming up here for a drink beforehand,” says Pia.
Another strong feature of the home is the void and stairwell between the old and new parts. Pia says the huge, angled-glass panels create a constant play of light. “One thing’s for sure, the quality of light we have in the house now is a far cry from the blacked-out windows we first saw all those years ago.”
Clare Cousins Architects, North Melbourne, Victoria;
(03) 9329 2888 or clarecousins.com.au.