Facebook

Tweet

Help

Classic dovetails contemporary

On the street side, this home honours a 1940s cottage once on the site – but at the rear, it's all change for contemporary looks and living

Designed by Alex Urena, Alex Urena Design Studio

From the designer:

Design brief

The owners (also the builder) had a vision for their new home that would honour the essence of the original 1940s cottage that used to be on the site, but in a more contemporary manner. 

The request was for a 4-bedroom family home with open-plan living areas, outdoor living and a swimming pool. 

Living areas and master bedroom needed to have direct links to the yard and feel like the 'new' build, whereas the other bedrooms should feel like they belonged in the 'original' house.

Design solution

The approach was to design the house as three interconnected contiguous wings, where the secondary bedrooms towards the street would appear to belong to the 'original' cottage, accompanied by a modern, yet warm looking double garage. 

Towards the rear, a side internal green courtyard marks the change to what would appear to be the 'modern' part of the house, being the two 'new' wings – master and living.


A front-to-back corridor links front and back, with focal points enhanced by a skylight and the green courtyard, as well as a semi-enclosed garden bed in between the master bedroom and living areas. 

A custom perforated brick wall at the end of the corridor separates the paths to the master and the living areas.

While all secondary rooms have flat ceilings, the open-plan living (kitchen/dining/living) volume sits under an expressed, off-centred raked ceiling lined in timber boards from end to end – like being inside a wave about to barrel – with a custom triangular window washing the space in northern natural light. 

Additional high windows throughout add further natural light into the space.

The master bedroom's wing, sitting a couple of steps below, and sheltered by the perforated brick wall, also has an off centred expressed raked ceiling – this time, white and modern, with corner windows towards the yard, pool and views.

Externally, the front, as a homage to the 1940s cottage, is cladded on traditional weatherboards with mitred corners.

However, the garage, clad in light timber – including a seamless garage door – with its curved end near the front porch, as well as custom metal awning/planters, provide more modern touches that suggest a link to the material selection to be discovered at the rear.

At the back, the two off-centred 'pavilions' (master and living) – clad in timber and metal respectively – sit proud behind the outdoor living and provide contrast to the cottage look from the front. 

Light coloured bricks and pavers, combined with the off-form concrete BBQ backdrop and the cantilevered timber-lined terrace roof add dramatic effect in the direction of the pool & yard.

Credit list

Interior design
Owner
Kitchen manufacturer
HighKraft Kitchens
Pool design
Owner / IBG
Roofing
Metal – combination of Enseam in Surfmist matt and standing custom Orb profiles in Windspray
Window/door joinery
Monument, by Hanlon Windows
Bedroom flooring
Engineered Pale Oak planks, by Woodcut
Paint
Exterior – Dulux Charmed White; interior Dulux Natural White
Feature lighting
Custom by Adesignstudio
Photography
Shaw Photography
Builder
Innovation Building Group (IBG)
Kitchen design
IBG/Owner
Landscape design
Kath Gadd / IBG
Cladding
Timber – Abodo Vulcan Sioox; metal – Colorbond Enseam; fibre cement – 180m Linea
Louvres
Breezway, by Hanlon Windows
Main flooring, living areas
Engineered Pale Oak planks, by Woodcut; burnished concrete
Bathroom finishes/ tiles
Venetian plastering; custom Deilorrenzo tiles; Fibonacci terrazzo Italian handmade tile clay tiles
General heating
Nibe ASHP Hydronic Underfloor Heating System
Awards
Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Winner

Helpful links

Windows and Doors
Cabinetry Hardware
Home Builder
Roofing
Heating
Taps
Kitchen Design
Home Design

Story by: Trendsideas

01 Nov, 2025

Home kitchen bathroom commercial design


Latest Post

01 Dec, 2024

01 Dec, 2024

01 Dec, 2024

We know the Specialists

Similar Stories