Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Late-Modernist Home Celebrates its 1970s Origins
An ageing suburban house is now an energy-efficient, high-performance home that respects its roots
Modernism was alive and well in Australia in the post-war era. Through the 1950s and ’60s and into the ’70s, Australians embraced modernist architecture and changed the suburban landscape. These homes were designed for functional living, had a relationship to the outdoors, and were made with materials in harmony with Australia’s native trees and bush.
This home in Doncaster, Melbourne, was one such home. Built in the early 1970s, it has since been renovated so it can continue to go the distance. By addressing the shortcomings of the original house while respecting its cultural heritage, Steffen Welsch Architects resolved late-modernist design with contemporary living.
This home in Doncaster, Melbourne, was one such home. Built in the early 1970s, it has since been renovated so it can continue to go the distance. By addressing the shortcomings of the original house while respecting its cultural heritage, Steffen Welsch Architects resolved late-modernist design with contemporary living.
The house was built in the early 1970s, as were its neighbours. Together they shared an understated presence on the streetscape. With the renovation, the residents wanted to extend the home to adapt to the changing needs of the family, to open internal living spaces to the outside, and to improve its energy efficiency.
“We wanted to bring a 1970s house into the 21st century and to reconcile a late-modernist design with contemporary expectations, to provide more functional space and sustainable living, and to accommodate complex and busy family life,” Welsch says.
“We wanted to bring a 1970s house into the 21st century and to reconcile a late-modernist design with contemporary expectations, to provide more functional space and sustainable living, and to accommodate complex and busy family life,” Welsch says.
The house is now spatially zoned, with the children’s sleeping wing and rumpus room to one side of the house, the parents’ retreat-like bedroom and ensuite at the opposite end of the house, and the interconnected living and service spaces in the central area.
The front entrance is through a courtyard next to the living room (to the right).
In true 1970s style, the original house had a sunken living room, which has been retained. Along one side of the space, a custom-made room divider crafted by Woodcraft Mobiliar separates the lounge from the kitchen while still allowing for a connection between the two spaces.
“We felt the need for some form of separation to make the rooms feel comfortable rather than vast and open,” Welsch says. “On the other hand, we wanted a connection between kitchen and lounge, so people can communicate and be part of each other’s activities.”
Due to its location, the timber room divider is one of the first features people see when they enter the home and has therefore been designed with a focus on convenience and functionality. It accommodates charging stations for phones and computers, as well as audio-visual equipment, a hidden air-conditioner, and open shelves for books, family photos, objects and other items.
“We felt the need for some form of separation to make the rooms feel comfortable rather than vast and open,” Welsch says. “On the other hand, we wanted a connection between kitchen and lounge, so people can communicate and be part of each other’s activities.”
Due to its location, the timber room divider is one of the first features people see when they enter the home and has therefore been designed with a focus on convenience and functionality. It accommodates charging stations for phones and computers, as well as audio-visual equipment, a hidden air-conditioner, and open shelves for books, family photos, objects and other items.
The living room steps up to a spacious dining area, located in a modest addition to the front corner of the house. Large expanses of glass extend the room to a side courtyard and garden, and allow natural light to filter into the dining room. The floor-to-ceiling glazing also establishes the connection with the outdoor spaces, which characterises much modernist architecture, as do the freestanding stone-rendered feature walls.
“The general ethos of the project – departure with the aim of continuity – extends into material choices and details,” Welsch says. “We focused on materials that reference the late-modernist language, but used them to meet the brief and achieve high thermal comfort.”
“The general ethos of the project – departure with the aim of continuity – extends into material choices and details,” Welsch says. “We focused on materials that reference the late-modernist language, but used them to meet the brief and achieve high thermal comfort.”
This includes the stone walls, which were not part of the existing house but reflect its era, as well as timber lining and cladding, which was a feature of late-modernist houses. Both the stone and timber improve thermal performance and energy efficiency, and the timber-lined ceiling defines the dining area within the larger open space.
Stone tiles have replaced the original linoleum and carpet, and provide thermal mass as well as moderating internal temperatures.
Blackbutt and messmate timber ceiling: Australian Reclaimed Timbers; basalt floor tiles: LaPege
Stone tiles have replaced the original linoleum and carpet, and provide thermal mass as well as moderating internal temperatures.
Blackbutt and messmate timber ceiling: Australian Reclaimed Timbers; basalt floor tiles: LaPege
Frameless glazing between the stone walls and timber-lined ceiling means the roof (thickened for insulation) appears to hover over the house.
The kitchen is on the other side of the room divider, and opens to a courtyard at the rear of the house. “It was developed to be interactive and not too precious. We saw it more as a hang-out space than a design feature, so it needed to be functional, casual and comfortable,” Welsch says.
This informed the choice of timber benchtop. There is also a hydronic heating panel built into the island unit to encourage people to sit and hang out, especially in winter. The kitchen island is recycled blackbutt and messmate, by Australian Reclaimed Timbers. The kitchen benchtop is recycled solid blackbutt.
A window in front of the sink opens to the rear courtyard with a small herb garden.
The back door of the house also opens to the rear courtyard. There is a convenient place to sit and put on shoes and hang up clothes and bags, as well as an open area to access the kitchen benchtop or communicate.
The bathrooms share the same colour and material palette as the dining room and kitchen, with slate grey, warm timber benchtops and mustard yellow accents.
Sirius heating panels: Mercury Heating and Cooling Systems; bathroom fixtures and fittings: Reece
Sirius heating panels: Mercury Heating and Cooling Systems; bathroom fixtures and fittings: Reece
At the front, side and rear of the house, the courtyards were developed as extensions of the interior spaces, while the back garden acts as a play area with extensive greenery.
Now updated, what was an ageing house is now an energy-efficient, high-performance home that still respects its era of origin. “Our approach elevates the whole home through details that make a real difference to the liveability of the home,” Welsch says.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us why in the Comments. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation below.
Now updated, what was an ageing house is now an energy-efficient, high-performance home that still respects its era of origin. “Our approach elevates the whole home through details that make a real difference to the liveability of the home,” Welsch says.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us why in the Comments. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation below.
Who lives here: Sam, a medical specialist, and Megan, with their children aged 8 and 10
Location: Doncaster, Victoria
Year of renovation: 2016
Size: 230 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a powder room
Architect: Steffen Welsch Architects
The original house has been retained and reconfigured, with the subtle addition of a front and side extension. In doing so, courtyards have been reinvigorated, new living spaces created, spatial areas rezoned and better connections forged between interior spaces and the garden.
“We upgraded and extruded the existing building form horizontally, driven by ecologically sustainable development and aesthetic aspirations,” says architect Steffen Welsch. “It acknowledges the suburban context and architectural vocabulary, while creating an ambiguity between the old and new.”
As such, the front facade of the house (original facade pictured) was upgraded, while the rear facade was newly built. “At first sight it appears as part of the original, but upon review of the details like wall, glass and roof junctions, it is clearly new,” the architect says.