perfectly extended
The owners of this Sydney home added a lifestyle-changing wing that unites the character of the old with the clean lines of the new
When you’re an interior designer blessed with the enviable combination of infinite creativity and industry knowhow, imagine the expectation and pressure you might feel when the time comes to renovate your own home. Surely it would be nigh impossible to settle on a design brief with so many variables on offer? For some, perhaps, but not Kellie Margetson, who knew exactly what she wanted from her extensive renovation and had the skill set to achieve it.
Not long after they bought their home in Sydney’s Gladesville nine years ago, Kellie and her husband Scott made an agreement that they would renovate and extend the small cottage before they “got too comfortable”. Despite having undergone a revamp 20 years earlier, the back of the home didn’t work for them at all. “It was an unusual extension,” Kellie admits. “It was too hard to play with and didn’t maximise the space on the block efficiently.”
In 2016, the decision was made to start work on the home’s transformation to accommodate the couple’s sporty 10-year-old son and sociable lifestyle. For a year, Kellie and architect Ben Giles worked on plans for an extension that not only celebrated the “variation in architecture between the old and the new”, but also made the most of the large, level block by creating outdoor areas perfect for entertaining children and grown-ups alike.
DREAM IT.
“We have family in Camden and my husband works in Dural, I frequently work in the eastern suburbs, and our son goes to school in Stanmore,” says Kellie of her family’s diverse routine, which takes them all over Sydney. That was part of the attraction to the lower northern suburb of Gladesville. “It’s right in the middle. It’s also leafy and family-oriented, with a really nice down-to-earth community and developing cafe scene... which took a while to take off, mind you!”
When they purchased the home, Kellie says they were “quite happy to buy a little three-bedroom with a lean-to on the back”, knowing they were always going to build a very modern extension with that variation between old and new.
Aside from wanting to explore what Kellie calls a “sense of conflict” between architectural styles, the family wanted to include an extra living/rumpus room for their son and his friends to hang out, a fully functioning cellar to collect wine in and enjoy, and an outdoor entertaining area with a seamless connection to the interior. “It literally doubles our living space,” says Kellie.
We made the pool deep in the middle, which works well because kids love to play ball sports in there and this design avoids someone having to dog paddle up the other end KELLIE MARGETSON, HOMEOWNER
DESIGN IT.
With its weatherboard cladding, quaint fretwork and cottage garden, the front aspect celebrates the original home’s 100-yearold history and gives no indication of what lies beyond – which was always the intention. “I wanted to be respectful to the front of the house and the architecture of the old building,” says Kellie.
Inside, the high skirting, thicker cornices and detailed door and window architraves have been similarly restored. “But as soon as we transitioned into the extension, we went for a more modern aesthetic with the square-set ceilings and shadow-line details around doors and architraves. It’s a very personal thing, but I wanted to have that contrast between the two.” A bold palette of black, white and shades of grey visually connects the two zones, as does the new oak flooring that features throughout.
While Kellie focused on the architectural and material considerations, and the backwards and forwards of planning with architect Ben, she says Scott had his own priorities. “There were a few things he felt strongly about, and the cellar was one of them,” she says with a laugh. “The pool was the other; he likes to do laps so the shape and style of the pool were really important.”
DO IT.
Kellie understood the benefit of locking in design details and material specifications long before the build started, which made for a smooth construction process and meant she had a handle on the overall spend. “Ours was not a $10 million build so it wasn’t overly complicated,” she says. “It was pretty straightforward, and so was our budget!” That’s not to say the 262-square-metre design didn’t have its share of detail, such as the recessed cavity for curtains in the living area and a completely flush flooring transition from inside to out, something not all builders are keen to tackle.
“Thankfully, we had the most amazing builder – Peter Ginns from Genuine Building Services – and he had worked on a lot of architectural projects, so that was the way he rolled, too. I was so impressed by his attention to detail. Pete never comes to you with a problem unless he has a solution to fix it!”
Having managed numerous projects of her own, there weren’t a lot of surprises for Kellie on site, though she does say that being her own client was a different experience. “Even though I had a clear direction of what I wanted, I laboured on a few small details. I had to tell myself to settle down and make that decision without having to consider all the other options out there!” One of the most surprising areas of discussion related to the pool, where the couple debated the placement of the steps. “I wanted to put three steps at the end but Scott felt that was going to shorten his lap run. We now have a big shelf that runs along the perimeter – which also works well for drinking champagne!”
So has that longed-for connection to the garden finally been achieved? “Absolutely,” says Kellie. “We do a lot of entertaining and live outside a lot more now. It’s so comfortable.”
See more of Kellie’s work at kelliemargetsondesign.com.au. Ben Giles; bengilesarchitect.com.au. Peter Ginns: genuinebuildingservices.com.au