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Renovating
Up And Out: A Spectacular and Spacious Makeover for a Sydney Home
Light, space and views transformed this classic Californian bungalow into a delightful and contemporary family home
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or extension each week. Here, Dr Clare Le Roy, director at interior design firm The Little Design Corner, and Stacey Bark, principal at SBH Design, reveal how they transformed a tired and poorly laid out three-bedroom, two-bathroom Californian bungalow in Sydney, NSW. The result is a bright and spacious four-bedroom, three-bathroom home that blends old and new.
The home’s facade after works
Gained
Le Roy:
Gained
Le Roy:
- A large new rear extension housing a kitchen, living room, dining room, laundry, pantry, powder room, internal courtyard and mezzanine home office.
- Repainted and refreshed the original facade and exterior.
- Rejuvenation of the interior rooms, including fresh paint, new interior joinery, flooring and window dressings.
- A new and improved layout for the original house.
- A kids’ study nook.
- A walk-in wardrobe and ensuite to the master bedroom.
- A deck with an automatic roof system that allows the area to be used year-round.
- Front and rear landscaping.
Thinking of extending? Find a building designer on Houzz to help you on your way
The home’s facade before works
What was the house like originally?
Le Roy: A modernised, single-storey Californian bungalow with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
What was the house like originally?
Le Roy: A modernised, single-storey Californian bungalow with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
What wasn’t working for the owners about the original house?
Le Roy: It was too small for the family’s needs. The owners had spent some time considering whether to move house or renovate, and in the end decided on the renovation.
Le Roy: It was too small for the family’s needs. The owners had spent some time considering whether to move house or renovate, and in the end decided on the renovation.
The kitchen before works
What were the client’s must-haves?
Bark:
What were the client’s must-haves?
Bark:
- An open-plan living/dining/kitchen space.
- A covered outdoor entertaining area.
- An ensuite and walk-in wardrobe to the master bedroom.
- Separate study spaces for the adults and children.
The kitchen before works
Did you use Houzz for this project?
Le Roy: Yes – the owner sent me a number of images she liked that she had found on Houzz. These were used as inspiration for the project.
Did you use Houzz for this project?
Le Roy: Yes – the owner sent me a number of images she liked that she had found on Houzz. These were used as inspiration for the project.
The kitchen after works
What problems did this project address?
Bark: The existing house had a separate living room that was detached from the kitchen and dining areas. The clients wanted an open-plan kitchen/living/dining area that connected seamlessly to a new outdoor entertaining space and the existing garden.
The existing main bathroom served the family’s needs, but the second bathroom was combined with an old laundry that was located in the ’70s fibro addition at the back of the house. It felt tired and detached from the flow of the rest of the home.
What problems did this project address?
Bark: The existing house had a separate living room that was detached from the kitchen and dining areas. The clients wanted an open-plan kitchen/living/dining area that connected seamlessly to a new outdoor entertaining space and the existing garden.
The existing main bathroom served the family’s needs, but the second bathroom was combined with an old laundry that was located in the ’70s fibro addition at the back of the house. It felt tired and detached from the flow of the rest of the home.
What condition was the original house in?
Bark: The house was in good condition, but a poorly executed ’70s fibro addition to the rear really detracted from its original Californian bungalow style. Thankfully, some of the home’s original features had been retained, including beautiful decorative pressed ceilings and leadlight windows.
Bark: The house was in good condition, but a poorly executed ’70s fibro addition to the rear really detracted from its original Californian bungalow style. Thankfully, some of the home’s original features had been retained, including beautiful decorative pressed ceilings and leadlight windows.
What did you do?
Bark: We reconfigured the existing bungalow to create an additional bedroom, plus a new walk-in wardrobe and ensuite for the large master bedroom. The old kitchen/dining area was turned into the new ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
A large extension was added to the back of the property that captures northern light. It houses a new kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry, pantry, powder room, internal courtyard and a mezzanine office space.
A study nook for the kids was added along the hallway that connects the original house with the new extension.
Bark: We reconfigured the existing bungalow to create an additional bedroom, plus a new walk-in wardrobe and ensuite for the large master bedroom. The old kitchen/dining area was turned into the new ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
A large extension was added to the back of the property that captures northern light. It houses a new kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry, pantry, powder room, internal courtyard and a mezzanine office space.
A study nook for the kids was added along the hallway that connects the original house with the new extension.
The floor plan before works
Bark: It was crucial to connect the new extension with the garden to create indoor-outdoor living. This was executed by lowering the level of the new extension to be flush with the garden and installing pivot sliding doors, which open up completely to the corner and flow out onto the lawn and new deck.
A servery window connects the kitchen to the deck, and a large picture window with a bench seat in the living room also helps connect the inside with the outside. Plus, it doubles as a viewpoint for the clients to watch their young children when they’re playing in the garden.
Bark: It was crucial to connect the new extension with the garden to create indoor-outdoor living. This was executed by lowering the level of the new extension to be flush with the garden and installing pivot sliding doors, which open up completely to the corner and flow out onto the lawn and new deck.
A servery window connects the kitchen to the deck, and a large picture window with a bench seat in the living room also helps connect the inside with the outside. Plus, it doubles as a viewpoint for the clients to watch their young children when they’re playing in the garden.
The ground-floor plan after works
How does the new work address the problems identified above?
Le Roy: The family now have one bedroom for each child, plus a luxury master suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.
There are now also two full bathrooms, plus a powder room, in the home.
The extension provides a large living space for the growing family, while the addition of the office mezzanine allows the owners to work from home in a dedicated home office.
How does the new work address the problems identified above?
Le Roy: The family now have one bedroom for each child, plus a luxury master suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.
There are now also two full bathrooms, plus a powder room, in the home.
The extension provides a large living space for the growing family, while the addition of the office mezzanine allows the owners to work from home in a dedicated home office.
The new mezzanine home-office floor plan after works
Who did what in this collaboration?
Le Roy: Stacey Bark was the architectural designer on the project and developed all the structural detailing, reconfigured the layout, and did all the internal and external architectural detailing.
I was responsible for the internal specifications including kitchen, bathroom and joinery design, materials selection, colours, furniture and styling.
Who did what in this collaboration?
Le Roy: Stacey Bark was the architectural designer on the project and developed all the structural detailing, reconfigured the layout, and did all the internal and external architectural detailing.
I was responsible for the internal specifications including kitchen, bathroom and joinery design, materials selection, colours, furniture and styling.
How does the new addition sit beside the original part of the home?
Le Roy: There is a beautiful contrast between the original home with its period features and the new extension, which feels light, bright and modern. At the same time, there are some common elements that tie the two spaces together – most notably the use of materials and colours.
Le Roy: There is a beautiful contrast between the original home with its period features and the new extension, which feels light, bright and modern. At the same time, there are some common elements that tie the two spaces together – most notably the use of materials and colours.
We love the mezzanine – tell us about it
Bark: A separate adult’s study was on the client’s wish list. We achieved this by taking advantage of the raked ceiling space above the powder room to create a mezzanine home office. The new mezzanine gains northerly aspect from the clerestory windows and cantilevers above the living area to create a cosy reading nook below.
The client also liked the idea of using some exposed steel in the project, so this was the ideal location and opportunity to integrate it. Painting the mezzanine black tied it in with the black window frames and provided a lovely contrast against the white walls.
Bark: A separate adult’s study was on the client’s wish list. We achieved this by taking advantage of the raked ceiling space above the powder room to create a mezzanine home office. The new mezzanine gains northerly aspect from the clerestory windows and cantilevers above the living area to create a cosy reading nook below.
The client also liked the idea of using some exposed steel in the project, so this was the ideal location and opportunity to integrate it. Painting the mezzanine black tied it in with the black window frames and provided a lovely contrast against the white walls.
What were the biggest challenges?
Bark: Connecting the original house with the new rear extension without losing the window to the existing bathroom. An internal courtyard serves to retain the bathroom window while flooding the new kitchen, living and dining areas with natural light and northern sun.
Bark: Connecting the original house with the new rear extension without losing the window to the existing bathroom. An internal courtyard serves to retain the bathroom window while flooding the new kitchen, living and dining areas with natural light and northern sun.
Putting the children’s study nook along the corridor that connects the old and new parts of the house makes for a transition that’s both attractive and practical. It also allows the children to be easily supervised from both the bedroom and living zones.
Why do you think this house works so well?
Le Roy: The layout is perfectly suited to a young family. Everyone has their own space, plus there is now a wonderfully bright, open area for the family to come together in.
Le Roy: The layout is perfectly suited to a young family. Everyone has their own space, plus there is now a wonderfully bright, open area for the family to come together in.
We adore the picture window with the floating bench in the living area – tell us about it
Bark: The original intention was to have a window with a higher sill to minimise noise from the nearby main road from entering the living room. But as the build progressed, we could see what a wonderful outlook the room would have and what a perfect opportunity it was to connect the living space with the garden.
I was able to convince the client to spend a bit more and increase the size of the window to capture the view to the garden and pool. We mitigated the noise issue by specifying acoustic glass.
The floating window seat was inspired by a design the client had seen in one of Clare Le Roy’s previous projects. We consulted with the engineer and came up with a solution to hide steel brackets in the wall to cantilever the seat with no exposed fixings.
Bark: The original intention was to have a window with a higher sill to minimise noise from the nearby main road from entering the living room. But as the build progressed, we could see what a wonderful outlook the room would have and what a perfect opportunity it was to connect the living space with the garden.
I was able to convince the client to spend a bit more and increase the size of the window to capture the view to the garden and pool. We mitigated the noise issue by specifying acoustic glass.
The floating window seat was inspired by a design the client had seen in one of Clare Le Roy’s previous projects. We consulted with the engineer and came up with a solution to hide steel brackets in the wall to cantilever the seat with no exposed fixings.
Interior materials palette
- Laminex Seasoned Oak Ravine on the upper cupboards in the kitchen.
- Caesarstone Pure White benchtop on kitchen island.
- Porcelain marble-look panel on kitchen splashback.
- Concrete flooring in the new extension.
- Black Japan stain to the original timber floorboards.
Furniture and artwork
- GlobeWest table and chairs in the dining area.
- GlobeWest armchairs in the living area.
- Lumil pendant lights in the kitchen.
- Nightworks Studio black Duomo Piccolo wall light in the ensuite.
- Artwork in the living room by Prudence Caroline.
Paint colours
- Dulux Lexicon Half to interior walls.
- Dulux Ghosting Half (to external walls); Lexicon Half (to external windows); and Domino (to external trims).
Venetian paste was applied to the walls of the new ensuite and powder room for added textural interest
Your turn
Are you as impressed with this clever renovation and extension as we were? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see more brilliant renovations? Don’t miss last week’s project of the week, Jungle Fever: A Quirky Annexe That Feels Like Part of the Garden
Your turn
Are you as impressed with this clever renovation and extension as we were? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see more brilliant renovations? Don’t miss last week’s project of the week, Jungle Fever: A Quirky Annexe That Feels Like Part of the Garden
Answers by Dr Clare Le Roy, director at interior design firm The Little Design Corner, and Stacey Bark, principal at SBH Design
Who lives here: A couple with three young children
Location: Roseville, NSW
Original size: 148 square metres
Size after works: 208 square metres
Architectural designer: Stacey Bark, SBH Design
Interior designer: Clare Le Roy, The Little Design Corner
Builder: Red Cedar Constructions