Project 12 Architecture was commissioned to create a ‘forever home’ in inner city Carlton North with a design that would adapt over time to suit the family of five’s changing needs, allowing ample space for entertaining and connection, yet also providing spaces of calm, study and respite.

The layout of the double-fronted heritage terrace was reconfigured, with a new two-storey extension along the southern boundary of the property. The design incorporates a parents’ retreat, children’s bedrooms, kitchen, butler’s pantry/laundry, dining, living space, rumpus room, family bathroom, powder room, study, storage space, outdoor entertaining area and a pool. The entire house was reworked except for one front living room which became a teenager’s retreat.

The house’s interior spaces feature spotted gum timber floors, walls and joinery and are complemented with rich expanses of stone throughout, the materials sensitively connecting the heritage bones of the house to the contemporary extension, adding further warmth and continuity. Diverse wall treatments including exposed brick applied with internal render contract with spotted gum lining boards, add further layers of texture to the interior. A series of skylights and light wells diffuse precious northern light throughout the extension.

An oversized kitchen bench top and splash back anchor the kitchen as a place to gather, cook and congregate, the eternal beauty of the stone a backdrop to the everyday. Outside, materials were selected for their low maintenance, robust qualities, with charred timber cladding and recycled white painted bricks providing monochromatic contrast. Additionally, metal screens were incorporated, ensuring both privacy and effective sun control.

The end result is a sanctuary amidst high-density inner-city living, a forever home for generations to come.