Fringe Dweller’s sculpted extension transforms an unassuming weatherboard cottage into a proud forever home. It walks multiple tightropes at once: balancing openness with privacy, strength with softness, and a rich history with our clients’ future needs. On Clifton Hill’s suburban edge, the house sits opposite the leafy Quarries Park Reserve. Our clients, Ishtar and Craig, have three children and purchased their cottage to create a long-term family home. Lying within a heritage overlay, the cottage’s traditional layout is largely preserved – only tweaked, in a wise parenting move, to form three equally sized bedrooms. The extension’s shared spaces feature rich materials, a warm palette and curved edges, creating a feeling of softness and easing transitions between zones. A staircase arcing through the living areas leads up to the lounge and main suite. Elevated above street level, these spaces can more freely relate to the park: the lounge’s attached balcony overlooks the park’s open field, while the main bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window frames magnificent foliage. Downstairs, sliding doors connect the living areas to a semi-covered deck, while the garden beyond is embraced by a self-contained studio at the rear and high walls on either side. A brick wall interspersed with permeable screens lines the site’s public edge, balancing backyard privacy with neighbourhood connection. For passers-by, it’s a strong addition to the streetscape, granting glimpses of the lush garden within. Fringe Dweller embraces its presence on the fringe of the parklands, balancing its historical context with its future as a nurturing family home.

Awarded Australia’s Best Display Home 2022 by MBA, Sanctuary has been crafted to be a modern luxurious haven. Latitude 37’s custom design and construction capability is showcased on a grand scale.

QMBA and HIA Award Winning Home

This materially rich house is designed to make the most of its sub-tropical location. Privacy is maintained from the street through layers of screening and landscape that surround the cobbled forecourt. A scalloped and curved concrete form pushes out towards the street engaging with the neighbourhood with planting spilling down the textured wall. Once visitors pass beneath the planted concrete awning, the water views reveal themselves slowly as you pass through a series of living spaces. This house plan is arranged to encourage prevailing breezes to pass through interior spaces that are rich with natural light. Screening on the first floor shifts dynamically according to required function. Upper screen folds allow views to the sky and tree canopy, while lower folds reveal garden views while maintaining privacy.

The brick warehouse form below with Spanish-inspired cantilever pool element and hanging plants above..

2B Wellington Road is a private residence in Ballsbridge, Dublin. We were enlisted on this project to transform a former commercial optical surgery into a luxury private residence. The challenge was to transform this 300sqm sterile clinic into a cosy residence for two people. The building originally consisted of a number of small examination rooms, surgery rooms and narrow hallways. Our design intent was to create an open plan living space that would optimise natural light and create large and comfortable living spaces. The inclusion of a garden space was necessary as the client is an avid gardener. A 300sqm building with the client use as the central focus we decided on two bedrooms, one for the client and a guest bedroom as luxury was the primary goal of this property. The original building was connected to an existing coach house via a conservatory. Removing this facilitated a small city garden suitable for the clients needs. The original structure included 3 floors separately enclosed. By removing multiple sections of the original floors we created a dialogue between ground, first and second floor, linking the entire house as one and creating a series of double and triple height, light filled spaces. This connects the attic art studio down to the ground floor as one large volume of space. In this vast space, this links the floors so that the clients never feel far from each other. Removing a section at the rear of the house created a triple height living space for the kitchen / dining area and this allows both the ground and first floor to be flooded with natural light due to the inclusion of a 5.7 x 6m curtain wall window, externally clad in charcoal zinc oxide to contrast with the traditional red brick of the building exterior. We opened up the entire ground floor only enclosing the guest bedroom, bathroom and utility room. The removal of a floor in the master bedroom created a double height space that feels both spacious and luxurious. The first floor includes the living and sleeping space for the client. The master bedroom and ensuite on the first floor is entered via the walk in wardrobe. This walk in wardrobe acts as a decompression space for the client before rest in the bedroom or relaxation in the spa like bathroom. The second floor includes the art studio, attic space and a third bathroom. The addition of a dormer (also clad in charcoal zinc oxide) to the attic space makes for optimum natural light with full headroom for the art studio. Underfloor heating, hyper insulation and a central humidity system (to assist with the clients dry eye condition) were built into the shell and core. The integration of a heat / air exchange system makes this a more sustainable and comfortable build. Washing and repointing of the exterior brick completed the architectural renovation for this project. This project was Winner of Best Residential Interior Project and FitOut Designer of the Year in 2021.