Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

This project was a joy to work on, as we married our firm’s modern design aesthetic with the client’s more traditional and rustic taste. We gave new life to all three bathrooms in her home, making better use of the space in the powder bathroom, optimizing the layout for a brother & sister to share a hall bath, and updating the primary bathroom with a large curbless walk-in shower and luxurious clawfoot tub. Though each bathroom has its own personality, we kept the palette cohesive throughout all three.

photo credit: Haris Kenjar Tabarka tile floor. Rejuvenation sink + mirror. Arteriors lighting.

The primary bathroom addition included a fully enclosed glass wet room with Brizo plumbing fixtures, a free standing bathtub, a custom white oak double vanity with a mitered quartz countertop and sconce lighting.

The master bathroom showing a built-in vanity with natural wooden cabinets, two sinks, two arched mirrors and two modern lights.

A touch of glamour with this powder bathroom. Marble and gold circles complete this to resemble stars.

We gut renovated this bathroom down to the studs. We kept the layout but used Fireclay tiles to bring a fresh and functional perspective.

QuickPicTours

12x12 Traditional Saltillo tile. Tile was ordered presealed, installed by Rustico Tile and Stone. Dark grout was left behind in texture to create a reclaimed terracotta tile look. Topcoat sealed with Terranano Sealer in Low Gloss finish. Talavera tile inserts in floor and in shower. Shower wall tile is Travertine stone. Fixtures are copper. Materials Supplied and Installed by Rustico Tile and Stone. Wholesale prices and Worldwide Shipping. (512) 260-9111 / info@rusticotile.com / RusticoTile.com Rustico Tile and Stone Photos by Jeff Harris, Austin Imaging

Install by Boulevard Tile

Remodeled bathroom in 1930's vintage Marina home. Architect: Gary Ahern Photography: Lisa Sze

Architect: Don Nulty

High Res Media

There is just enough contrast in this bath's finishes to allow the white to really stand out. The skylight provides warm natural light and the entire space feels inviting. The lines of the separate walk-in shower softens the angles in the room.