DESIGN IT.

“The thing I love about this project the most is the simplicity in the architectural ideas and how that afforded everything else to happen in that tight budget,” says architect Eva-Marie.

The simple shed-like addition is indeed a cost-saver, combining ensuite, study and kitchen and living spaces into one basic footprint. The bungalow was returned to its original footprint and the living room converted into a master bedroom. A glass link creates a deliberate separation between the two.

With origami-like precision, Eva-Marie manipulated the ceiling plane in the living space to plan the interior layout – think ceiling plan, rather than floorplan. It’s a move that turns the structure from ‘shed-like’ into home. “Even though it’s open-plan, it still feels like you’re in separate zones because of what’s going on above and the different views you’re getting from the position of those oversized dormer windows,” says Eva-Marie.

Fit-out stage was just as thoroughly considered. There was no budget for custom-built joinery so the addition was designed to fit standard flat-pack joinery from IKEA. Seamlessly integrated into recesses in the architecture, it’s a dress-up that’s impossible to pick. Custom benches perfect the trick.

Sleek polished concrete floors also belie their role in keeping the budget on track. The builder took extra care to pour a structural slab that has polished up beautifully, with no other surface or finish needed to complete the look.