Architects:Sibling Architecture

Year:2025

Photographs:Christine Francis

Manufacturers:Big River Amourply,Cork,Dulux,Kayo Brick,Laminex,Nubrik

Builder:Vhaus

Landscape:Flowerspike

Category:Houses,Renovation,Sustainability

Project Team:Nicholas Braun, Lauren Crockett, Hannah Lim, Albany Flanagan

Project Architect:Lauren Crockett

Joinery:Contegrity

City:Melbourne

Country:Australia

Text description provided by the architects. A House to Gather is a project designed for the ultimate hosts. The young couple is renowned for their generous hospitality, opening up their home multiple times a week for everything from a quick aperitif to an expertly planned long luncheon. On a modest site and budget, this extension aims to match their generosity by giving them a new space to be with friends and family.

The extension replaces half of the existing cottage with a new two-storey volume that integrates seamlessly with Thornbury's evolving residential fabric. Landscaping and an interior renovation to the remaining house were also part of the scope. The existing house, a single-fronted workers' cottage that was long, narrow, and oriented south, was far from ideal. The initial brief was focused on the core needs of more light, more open space, and a strong connection to the backyard. The small footprint required highly efficient planning and the layering of uses within a single space.

The new volume is contextually relevant to the patchwork of extensions found throughout Thornbury. Built from a combination of cream and glass bricks, the western façade, which is visible only from a rear laneway, acts as a quiet backdrop to the lively gatherings that take place within.

Internally, the house reflects the owners' personalities through playful yet considered details, including vibrant kitchen joinery, custom tiles, and bold metalwork accents. The house is layered with references to Rob's late mum, Michelle. A vivacious interior designer who often used plywood, corrugated metal, and the same plush green carpet now found in the front of the house. Located upstairs, the main bedroom is a sanctuary away from the social space below. With the only views outwards being of sky, tones of blue are used throughout, inviting in the feeling of being among clouds.

The interior design concept and spatial planning centred on the many ways that the owners share meals with each other and their guests. The design needed to comfortably accommodate between 2-30 people in the dining space, starting with a weeknight meal shared between them, expanding to an intimate dinner party, to a festive long lunch. The kitchen and dining space are combined into a large central room to enable connection between the owners and their guests while they are preparing food.

The project's innovation lies in its ability to expand and contract as the clients require. The couch doubles as a dining bench. During cocktail parties, the dining table becomes the kitchen island. The deck acts as a spill-out space, with built-in devices such as a bench seat that invites indoor furniture to be brought outside for an outdoor dining experience. The theatrics of the preparation of food and drink are accentuated through the colourful kitchen joinery and a splashback with custom tiles by a local artist and friend of the owner. Three skylights sit above the kitchen, providing passive illumination throughout the day and some direct sunlight in the "golden hour" of the day.

The extension's primary western frontage is harnessed for afternoon light, with a shade canopy providing protection from the summer sun while also enabling the extension of the dining space to include the adjacent outdoor deck and new landscape. Along this western façade, light is filtered into the dining space and upstairs bedroom through a vertical strip of diffuse glass blocks.

The downstairs bathroom also utilises glass blocks to continue this language and provide passive light throughout the day. A fourth skylight sits above the central open staircase, bringing light into the centre of the narrow site. Cross ventilation, harvested rainwater, and solar energy all assist in maintaining a comfortable and efficient internal environment.

The project was realised on time, on an extremely tight budget. Key moves such as the increased ceiling height on the ground floor and the careful planning of skylight locations combine to create the feeling of more generous spaces. Special details such as the custom tiles in the kitchen, colourful carpets, and bright orange metalwork further contribute to the character of the house, which complements the personalities of the owners.

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