‘From the outset, the house radiated a quirky charm that mirrored the owners’ personalities,’ Healy Ryan Architects co-founder Dan Ryan says of this project in Pascoe Vale South.

‘Every wall and shelf is alive with artworks, travel mementos, and cherished collections — alongside rows of homemade jams and sauces prepared from produce grown in the garden.’

These details gave the brick bungalow a homely energy, accumulated after serving as the couple’s family home for 20 years.

With their children now grown and moved out, the house had taken on a new life. As Dan describes, ‘It was still full of visitors, but it had more room for their work, hobbies, and creative pursuits.’

The clients engaged Healy Ryan to reimagine two ‘awkward and under-utilised’ rooms nestled beyond the kitchen and dining area, in the rear lean-to of the home.

This 20-square-metre section was reconfigured to create a new laundry, bathroom, and study that could also double as a guest room for visiting family and friends.

Though the area was small, the transformation was significant. Internal walls were removed, openings were carefully rearranged, and new efficient joinery was designed to maximise functionality within the low proportions of the lean-to structure.

While other clients sometimes need encouragement from their design team to experiment with colour, the vision for this bold renovation really came from the owners.

‘The clients were clear that the new spaces shouldn’t feel overly minimal or clinical. Instead, they wanted them to carry the same warmth and character as the rest of the home,’ Dan adds.

‘A key inspiration was the ceramic woodgrain floor tile — something the clients had used before and loved. They managed to track down the last available batch in Australia, which became a foundation for the palette.’

The unconventional flooring features timber-look patterns in mix-and-match colours, capturing most hues of the rainbow.

Healy Ryan explored many different options for the backdrop before landing on a bold green to drench the ceilings, walls, and joinery — anchored by timber accents and brass fittings.

A large timber-framed window in the new study now opens to the garden, while a glass-block window in the bathroom meets fire regulations and provides a soft, glowing light.

The interiors are daring, but Dan says there’s something calming in how the natural materials balance out the vivid colours.

‘More than that, seeing the clients inhabit the space so naturally was the greatest reward’, Dan says. ‘It confirmed that this design was the right fit for them.’