This Sustainable Family Oasis Hides A Clever + Unconventional Floor Plan
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The charming yellow California bungalow.
The front rooms were retained, with the renovation focusing on the centre of the home.
The new rooms feature recycled timber floors and linings.
The highly functional kitchen transformed the home’s flow, with built-in joinery that maximises space.
Recycled bricks also aid the house’s thermal performance.
The newly combined kitchen and hallway area now provides circulation spaces where the family can cook, dine, study and more.
The limited material palette allowed the owners to fill add their own personality to the interiors.
A sunny banquette seat.
The open shelving ensures the area’s adaptability.
Double-glazed windows and new insulation help lower operational costs to heat and cool the home.
The new bathroom.
The spacious living rooms at the rear of the house remain in place.
A series of subtle changes by Steffen Welsch Architects was all it took to unlock the untapped potential of a family’s dysfunctional bungalow in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
The owners had been living there for 20 years, and in that time extended the home twice to create a central courtyard linked to a room they’ve dubbed ‘The Church’ — thanks to its cathedral ceilings — and another living space, affectionately referred to as ‘The Zen Room’.
While these newer spaces had served them well, this new brief asked to improve the old building’s thermal performance, while also improving the clutter and ‘wasted space’ at the centre of the floor plan.
With a traditional add-on at the rear outside of the question, it pushed the architects to think a little outside the box.
‘After analysis of existing conditions, we understood the main issue was not the size, but the disconnect of the rooms, the lack of flow and how they were utilised — cramped on one hand, and empty on the other,’ Steffen says.
The resulting Subtle Shift project managed to stay within the existing 160-square-metre footprint, minimising demolition wherever possible, which also kept costs below half of what Steffan says you’d usually expect to budget for a renovation today.
‘We pursued targeted, minimal interventions as a thoughtful and effective approach to sustainability,’ he adds.
Two under-utilised hallways were incorporated into the new kitchen, where built-in timber joinery and bench seating now create a practical multi-use area designed as ‘a drop off zone, circulation, a space to commune, study, cook and have meals together.’
The existing large bathroom was divided to create a compact bathroom/laundry, and a guest room that doubles as a study.
Alongside installing new double-glazed windows, all-electric appliances, solar panels and a home battery, the design also prioritised sustainable materials.
‘We chose recycled yellow bricks, high on thermal mass, for the feature wall and recycled timber for flooring, the feature wall and part of the ceiling. Overall, this provides a comfortable and warm physical shell that is not too overbearing and allows to personalise your own home in how you fit out and how you use it,’ Steffan notes.
All the carefully considered updates were made in a bid to move away from the rigid, ‘one room, one function’ mindset of a conventional floor plan.
‘We often focus on operational energy — insulation, solar panels, efficient appliances. But the real climate cost begins with the build itself. Materials, transport, waste.’
‘As climate change reshapes how we design living spaces, we would argue the traditional Western model of dedicated rooms for specific functions is increasingly unsustainable.’
He hopes this refreshed family home provides a clever counterpoint. It’s compact, yet highly functional and adaptable — serving as an inherently sustainable family oasis with all the amenity, and a much lower environmental footprint.
Subtle Shift by Steffen Welsch Architects is open for viewings as part of Sustainable House Day 2025 this Sunday May 4. Book your tickets here.