Wright Home
THE STORY BEHIND THIS DESIGN SOLUTION.
The Wright House project began with a vision to merge contemporary and heritage features in a way that would honour and reinforce the heritage fabric of the home and surrounding neighbourhood, whilst adding a contemporary yet functional extension to support inner-city family living.
Innovative space planning solutions were employed to both optimise the 166m2 footprint of home on the compact site, and also comply with the strict council height, viewing angle and heritage considerations. Reducing the courtyard space slightly resulted in significant space gains to the interiors.
The Wright House, now enriched with natural light, is a standout project that demonstrates how design and technical challenges were resolved to achieve the brief and enhance the overall outcome for our clients. The resulting home beautifully merges heritage charm with modern living through innovative space planning, clever design and creative application of glass and lightweight materials.
FURTHER READING
Creative application of glass and lightweight materials were an important component of our design solution. Glazed windows, doors and skylights have been placed purposefully to visually open and connect the otherwise modest spaces, harnessing natural light and making the compact home feel more light, airy, expansive and inviting.
A seamlessly integrated glass balustrade on the internal staircase, combined with skylights above, significantly ‘lightens’ the centre of the home, giving the impression that the stairs are ‘floating’ and visually linking the ground floor living areas with the first floor.
As you can see from the photos, large glazed sliding doors to the landscaped rear courtyard form an inviting extension of the ground floor living spaces. Additionally high-level kitchen windows capture views of treetops and sky, providing privacy to the interiors and adding to a sense of openness without compromising available storage.
Strategic placement of full-height wall-to-wall mirrors in the Pantry, Laundry and Walk-in-Robe were also an imaginative design solution to reflect light and give the sensation that these otherwise small spaces continue beyond their physical boundaries. The mirrors also reflect the trees and sky into the spaces to bring the outdoors in, linking the interiors with nature.
On the first floor double sliding cavity doors in the bedroom cleverly extend the Master Suite out to the landing and new roof deck, and special angled windows with treetop views follow the roofline enhancing biophilic connection between the interiors and outdoors.
Given the limited footprint and council height restrictions for the first floor extension, creating a sense of spaciousness in the interiors was challenging. Cantilevering the first floor over the ground floor living area and incorporating a feature cathedral ceiling into the Master Suite were a resourceful design solution to gain a larger first floor footprint and make the spaces feel more generous.
Smart utilisation of negative spaces such as including a study nook at the top of the stairs, a wine cellar under the stairs, and additional storage in the laundry roof have optimised the functionality of the home.
Lightweight material selections, such as PermatimberCX castellated lightweight cladding, Lysaght Dominion Cladding and BlueScopeSteel CustomOrb Roof Sheeting, were chosen specifically to facilitate longevity of the renovation. They were also essential design considerations in minimising the visual and structural ‘bulk’ of the first floor extension and distinguishing between ‘heritage’ and ‘contemporary’ sections of the home.