How An Infamous Local Landmark Inspired This Melbourne Home Reno
Oval House is a restored and extended Victorian home in Coburg.
The addition is constructed inside and out from recycled cream bricks.
A central hallway connects old and new, past an internal courtyard.
‘The kitchen is the centre of our home where we celebrate, gather, and hear the kids splashing in the bath after dinner or see them playing outside,’ says the client.
Sesame boards by Made by Storey line the ground floor walls at the stair void and along the hallway.
Datum lines scribed into the timber lined bedroom pod represent the heights of the family of four upon completion of the project.
The upper storey contains the main bedroom suite and a study.
The main bedroom en suite.
The internal courtyard by Emergent Studios creates a lush outlook for the dining room and library on either side.
The new living spaces were built along a zero-lot line to the south of the block to maximise natural light, and create space for a rear courtyard.
The new extension minimises disruption to the heritage home where three of the four rooms remained intact.
White verandah poles reference the goal posts on the rear oval.
The addition includes second storey above a shed — a place to paint, exercise, build, store camping equipment and park bikes.
Rear access is through old school timber shed doors, that open to a lane.
A 5000-litre steel water tank in the front yard stores water for irrigation and toilet flushing.
The double fronted Victorian facade has been restored.
The owners of this Coburg house are focused on family, place, and community.
With these values in mind, they engaged Topology Studio to renovate and extend their double fronted Victorian home to improve its energy efficiency and enhance its connection to place — specifically a sporting oval located behind the house, and nearby Pentridge Prison.
‘Our vision was to generate a design with clear legibility that embedded itself into place and considered broader social responsibilities,’ says Darren Kaye, Topology Studio director.
Despite the house having no heritage overlay, the clients were intent on keeping and restoring most of the original Victorian rooms and facade. The remainder (a poor quality 1980s brick extension) was completely demolished, making way for a L-shaped addition, including a second storey above a shed, which is central to the block.
The reason for the shed’s positioning is threefold: allowing space for a rear courtyard; providing easy access to pack the car (for a family of keen campers); and to avoid blocking northern light to the living spaces built along a zero-lot line to the south.
Remnant details of nearby Pentridge Prison became the unlikely inspiration for the concave tower at the junction of the single and double storey wings.
On the other side of the block is an internal courtyard, separating the original house from the new ground floor rooms, while creating a lush outlook for the dining room and library.
All landscaping was designed by Emergent Studios, incorporating banksias and significant eucalypt trees to support local birds and insects. ‘Mature tree canopy cover on the site has been increased by up to 50 per cent,’ says Darren.
Materials throughout the home reflect the tones and texture of this native flora, particularly the shimmering silvers and rich blossoms of the flowering gum that drape across the entrance.
Red hues in the terracotta kitchen tiles (sourced from Bennetts Magill Pottery Adelaide, local to where the client grew up) reference nearby red brick chimneys.
Further nods to Pentridge Prison are embedded throughout the project in the surprisingly delicate timber rod staircase screen, and study window geometry.
Other details are personal, such as datum lines scribed into the timber lined bedroom pod representing the heights of the family of four upon completion of the project.
White verandah poles reference the Aussie rules goal posts on the rear oval, which can now be directly viewed from the first floor. ‘You can see footy matches on a frosty morning or hear the crack of cricket balls through open windows in the summer, connecting the house to the local community and culture,’ says Darren.
The everyday experience of living in the home has been dramatically improved with more insulation, glazing, passive solar design principles, and efficient all-electric appliances. A 5000-litre steel water tank in the front yard stores water for irrigation and toilet flushing.
The clients say the project wastes no space, and is always a joy to inhabit. ‘We return from holidays grateful to be in a space where we feel so much comfort.’