Project Of The Week
Architecture
Deco House: A Masterful Renovation of a Period-Style Cottage
Step inside a serene and sun-drenched home that reimagines Art Deco style for contemporary living
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation each week. Here, Warwick Mihaly, principal architect at Mihaly Slocombe, reveals how he blended old with new when renovating and extending an Art Deco-style cottage in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
The house before works
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey Art Deco-style house with three bedrooms and one bathroom built in the 1930s.
What condition was it in when you came onboard?
The front rooms were in good condition, with beautifully preserved heritage features. The back of the house was more run-down.
Inspired to get cracking on your own renovation? Find a local architect on Houzz
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey Art Deco-style house with three bedrooms and one bathroom built in the 1930s.
What condition was it in when you came onboard?
The front rooms were in good condition, with beautifully preserved heritage features. The back of the house was more run-down.
Inspired to get cracking on your own renovation? Find a local architect on Houzz
The house before works
What wasn’t working for the client about the house originally?
Our client didn’t like the inefficient layout, only having two useable bedrooms and the fact there was no garage.
How does the new work address this problem?
We grew the house, improved the zoning and flow between rooms, and made sure that every room is now connected to gardens and natural light.
What wasn’t working for the client about the house originally?
Our client didn’t like the inefficient layout, only having two useable bedrooms and the fact there was no garage.
How does the new work address this problem?
We grew the house, improved the zoning and flow between rooms, and made sure that every room is now connected to gardens and natural light.
The house after works
Brief
Our client asked us to create a warm family home with welcoming spaces, lots of light and enough bedrooms to accommodate future children.
They wanted a forever home where they could relax, cook and that made it easy to entertain family and friends.
Brief
Our client asked us to create a warm family home with welcoming spaces, lots of light and enough bedrooms to accommodate future children.
They wanted a forever home where they could relax, cook and that made it easy to entertain family and friends.
The house before works
What were their must-haves?
What were their must-haves?
- Extra bedrooms.
- A high-performance kitchen.
- Storage nooks for their Lego collection.
- A proper garage.
The house before works
Gained
Gained
- Increased size in the kitchen, living area and laundry.
- A new second storey with two bedrooms and a bathroom.
- An additional bedroom (bringing the total number of bedrooms to four).
- A walk-in wardrobe.
- An extra bathroom (bringing the total bathrooms to two plus a powder room).
- A powder room.
- A store room.
- A pantry.
- A garage.
What exactly did you do?
Our design strategy honoured the heritage of the original house by retaining the front rooms and their period detailing, and siting a new two-storey extension to the rear.
We maintained the hidden side entry, and reinforced the internal planning split between public and private spaces.
Browse more incredible Australian kitchens on Houzz
Our design strategy honoured the heritage of the original house by retaining the front rooms and their period detailing, and siting a new two-storey extension to the rear.
We maintained the hidden side entry, and reinforced the internal planning split between public and private spaces.
Browse more incredible Australian kitchens on Houzz
How does the new extension complement or contrast with the original home?
Our extension is very much inspired by the Art Deco period of the original house, using the arch motif, brick palette and metallic highlights of this period to complement the two.
The original house is a white building with red-brick detailing, our extension is a red-brick building with white metal detailing.
Our extension is very much inspired by the Art Deco period of the original house, using the arch motif, brick palette and metallic highlights of this period to complement the two.
The original house is a white building with red-brick detailing, our extension is a red-brick building with white metal detailing.
Tell us about the curved ceiling
We used a carefully layered installation of bendable plywood, sourced from plantation forests in Queensland. We chose this material because of its striking warmth, and because it’s an inherently bendable material – so both beautiful and practical.
We used a carefully layered installation of bendable plywood, sourced from plantation forests in Queensland. We chose this material because of its striking warmth, and because it’s an inherently bendable material – so both beautiful and practical.
How much restoration work was involved in this project?
Though the original house was surprisingly unprotected by a heritage overlay, we loved the front half of the house and its heritage detailing. Fortunately, a lot of it was in good condition so our restoration works were focused on small areas, for example repairing cornicing and cleaning up some light fittings.
How much work was required for the front of the house?
Quite a bit. We relocated the front door from behind the master bedroom to its current position, and converted the old entrance/bathroom into the new walk-in wardrobe/ensuite.
We also converted the small third bedroom into a new laundry and powder room.
Though the original house was surprisingly unprotected by a heritage overlay, we loved the front half of the house and its heritage detailing. Fortunately, a lot of it was in good condition so our restoration works were focused on small areas, for example repairing cornicing and cleaning up some light fittings.
How much work was required for the front of the house?
Quite a bit. We relocated the front door from behind the master bedroom to its current position, and converted the old entrance/bathroom into the new walk-in wardrobe/ensuite.
We also converted the small third bedroom into a new laundry and powder room.
The ground-floor plan after works
How do the old and new parts of the house sit together?
The new and old parts of the house meet at the entrance, which acts as an important pivot between the two. It’s a double-height space – the only one in the house – which further highlights the importance of the relationship between new and old, and contrasts the scale and detailing of the two.
What challenges did you have to work around?
Town planning is always a constraint in inner-city Melbourne and we carefully designed the form of the house to fit within the maximum building envelopes permitted by local council.
How do the old and new parts of the house sit together?
The new and old parts of the house meet at the entrance, which acts as an important pivot between the two. It’s a double-height space – the only one in the house – which further highlights the importance of the relationship between new and old, and contrasts the scale and detailing of the two.
What challenges did you have to work around?
Town planning is always a constraint in inner-city Melbourne and we carefully designed the form of the house to fit within the maximum building envelopes permitted by local council.
The first-floor plan after works
Why do you think the house works so well?
Deco House is a compact, flexible and future-proofed home that supports our client’s current lifestyle and will happily evolve to accommodate future family needs. It also supercharges the pragmatic requirements of their brief with a strong dose of soul.
Their everyday activities are set within a considered work of architecture, whose north- and east-facing windows take it in turns to introduce light indoors, and whose bullnose ceilings concentrate and scatter the light across a lustrous materials palette, creating a beautiful place to live.
Why do you think the house works so well?
Deco House is a compact, flexible and future-proofed home that supports our client’s current lifestyle and will happily evolve to accommodate future family needs. It also supercharges the pragmatic requirements of their brief with a strong dose of soul.
Their everyday activities are set within a considered work of architecture, whose north- and east-facing windows take it in turns to introduce light indoors, and whose bullnose ceilings concentrate and scatter the light across a lustrous materials palette, creating a beautiful place to live.
We adore the curves – tell us about them
We wanted to connect to the Art Deco period of the original house without being dumb about it. So we used the curved motif from that era in different ways to connect new and old.
In addition to the curved roofs, ceilings and brickwork in the entry, you might also notice the curved brick window sills in various places that take this idea down to the smallest of details.
We wanted to connect to the Art Deco period of the original house without being dumb about it. So we used the curved motif from that era in different ways to connect new and old.
In addition to the curved roofs, ceilings and brickwork in the entry, you might also notice the curved brick window sills in various places that take this idea down to the smallest of details.
Tell us about the beautiful bathroom
This is the new ensuite. The family bathroom upstairs shares the same materials palette and has a similar layout.
The two-tone grey and white tiles match the two-tone paintwork to the original house, and also the two-tone plasterboard in the extension.
We included a timber vanity to bring warmth to the space, complemented by sharp metal detailing around the mirror and in the shower.
This is the new ensuite. The family bathroom upstairs shares the same materials palette and has a similar layout.
The two-tone grey and white tiles match the two-tone paintwork to the original house, and also the two-tone plasterboard in the extension.
We included a timber vanity to bring warmth to the space, complemented by sharp metal detailing around the mirror and in the shower.
Key features
- Arched roofs and ceilings are an essential quality of the house – they anchor it in the era of its namesake and give the project its identity.
- A compact, efficient layout with splits between front and back, private and public, closed and open, formal and informal.
- A lush materials palette that includes warm timbers.
- Every room has a connection to the gardens and natural light.
Materials palette
Interior palette
Interior palette
- Nullabor Timber blackbutt floors.
- Concrete floors.
- Don Currie Carpets Eldon wool carpet.
- Artedomus Urban Tile floor tiles in Ivory.
- Austral Plywoods hoop pine plywood with a lime-wash finish to the ceilings.
- Locker Group perforated steel screens in Surfmist to stairway.
- Austral Bricks Nubrik Series brick in Chapel Red.
- Woven Image Echopanel pinboards in Pale Grey.
- Carrara marble benchtops.
- Ventech blackbutt timber faces to joinery.
- Classic Ceramics Vogue walls tiles in Ghiaccio.
Interior fittings
Exterior palette
Your turn
Were you as inspired as we were by this beautiful and considered renovation? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more on renovations to older homes? Don’t miss Colour Cure: A Bright & Cheery Extension for a Family of Four
- Victorian ash window frames.
- Masson For Light Mort timber-top pendant above kitchen island.
- Reece Kado Lussi Vessel basin to the bathroom.
Exterior palette
- Colorbond corrugated steel roof in Surfmist.
- Custom-designed pergola crafted from glue-laminated timber beams clad in translucent fibreglass.
Your turn
Were you as inspired as we were by this beautiful and considered renovation? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more on renovations to older homes? Don’t miss Colour Cure: A Bright & Cheery Extension for a Family of Four
Answers by Warwick Mihaly, principal architect at Mihaly Slocombe
Who lives here: A young couple hoping to start a family
Location: Kew, Victoria
Size of the house originally: 104 square metres
Size of the house after works: 199 square metres
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms originally: Three bedrooms (including a small one that was used as a study) and one bathroom
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms after works: Four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a powder room
Architect and interior designer: Mihaly Slocombe
Stylist: Bea & Co
Builder: Basis Builders
How did you use Houzz for this project?
We asked the client to develop a Houzz ideabook of things they liked in order to guide us on their architectural tastes.