Forward Thinking A modern extension gives a heritage home a new lease on life.
A versatile extension has given this character cottage in Perth a new lease on life – and plenty of room for the family to grow.
After four years spent living in Sydney, architect Davina Bester, director of Milieu Creative, and her husband Aaron were planning to move home to Perth. They dreamt of a heritage house near the beach, perhaps something of a project so they could put their stamp on it and create a forever home for themselves and their young daughters India, nine, Mila, seven, and Harlow, four.
The house they settled on – a three-bedroom brick cottage built in the 1920s and owned by the same family throughout its history – didn’t present particularly well to potential buyers. With her trained eye, however, Davina saw plenty of potential under the layers of paint and tacked-on additions.
“I wanted to remove all of those additions and reinstate the heritage character in the original front rooms,” says Davina. “We also planned to add a lightweight timber-framed addition at the rear.” The build took 18 months – slightly longer than expected – but the result is a wonderful marriage between old and new.
“We basically had to rebuild the house from scratch,” says Davina. “We pulled up the jarrah
floorboards to install a concrete slab, replastered all the walls and repointed the brickwork. We also reinstated the front verandah, adding the decorative timberwork, to create a sunny place to sit outside.”
The home’s charms are immediately evident. The ornate original front door, now with new leadlight windows, opens to a wide hallway featuring a restored decorative arch. The hall leads to three of the home’s bedrooms (there are now five in total) and, beyond, a family bathroom and laundry. At the end of the hall, three steps down lead to the contemporary addition, which contains a flexible space (currently the playroom) and a generous open-plan kitchen/dining/living area.
“THE FLOOR PLAN IS DELIBERATELY FLEXIBLE, ENABLING US TO CHANGE THINGS AROUND AS THE CHILDREN GROW UP .” Davina Bester, owner and architect
The kitchen, on the south side of the home, includes a scullery that is illuminated by a skylight. On the northern side of the addition, the girls’ playroom doubles as a study – it has a desk nook where the kids do their homework and Davina and Aaron work on laptops .“I had intended this to be a second sitting room but it makes a great playroom at the moment,” Davina says. “The layout is deliberately flexible, enabling us to change things around as the children grow up.”
The first floor is the girls’ domain. It contains two bedrooms, a second playroom/study and a bathroom. Two of the girls prefer sleeping downstairs, close to their parents, but they run straight to upstairs when friends come over.
The communal spaces open to the completely revamped garden, accessed via bifold doors. Various outbuildings made way for an outdoor entertaining area, an expanse of lawn and a pool. The layout of the house, garden and pool make the most of the north aspect, delivering inviting spaces that belie the size of the 610m2 block.
“One of the best things about the open-plan area is the bifold windows on two sides of the living zone,” says Davina. “We often have them open completely. The kids can be in the pool or playing in the garden and we can keep an eye on them from inside. We host extended-family gatherings several times a year, so when our extended family comes to visit, people can relax on the bench seat that wraps around the living room and still feel part of the action, whether it’s happening inside or out.”
Now comfortably settled in their welcoming, family-friendly home, Davina says she and Aaron are planning to stay put. “We have an amazingly liveable home, we love the area and it’s close to the girls’ school,” she says. “It ticks all the boxes for our family’s needs and lifestyle. And even though it’s a heritage home at the front, I love the fact that everything is all new inside. We’re definitely in no hurry to move.”
Milieu Creative, Claremont, WA; www.milieucreative.com.