Open personality - Renovation optimising usable space by Tse:Wallace Architects

It doesn't take planning permission and a new wing to unlock usable space in your home. Some strategic changes to your existing interior can bring a world of space-saving functionality.

This villa was renovated in two stages. A previous owner had asked architects Liz Wallace and Rochelle Tse of Tse:Wallace to reinvent the kitchen, dining area and laundry to optimise use of the long but narrow footprint just 3.5m wide. The project also had to improve light penetration into the area which was dark and claustrophobic due to the lean-to roof typical of a home of this era. On the strength of this look, the present owner asked that the living room and two upstairs bedrooms be given a similar, airy treatment, says Wallace.

"On the initial fit-out, we reconfigured the space setting the kitchen, laundry and toilet to one side of the volume, to optimise spatial flow," says Wallace. "With the kitchen open to the seating area, we tucked a walk-in pantry under the stairs an efficient use of this dead area."

Two long skylights were added to the lean-to, bringing light deep into the open-plan area. Double doors at the end of the room create an easy connection to a new rear courtyard.

The second stage was a collaborative effort by owner Bill Carden-Horton and Tse:Wallace. This involved opening up the front room to connect with the renovated area creating a long, gallery-like space that would be an appropriate environment for Carden-Horton's collection of artworks.

To achieve this, a doorway was taken out, leaving an open volume. While the rooms are narrow, the ceiling is high now, with the wall gone, the ceiling flows the length of the house.

"Painting the walls and joinery uniformly white adds to the gallery feel and makes the spaces look bigger. A limited colour palette also accentuates the horizontal flow leading the eye, uninterrupted, right down the interior."

Upstairs, the master bedroom and a modest second bedroom were also reinvented by the designer in both rooms, Wallace built the bed into a custom wardrobe.

The owner says the sense of space and light along with new wall linings and heating have given the villa a welcoming character.

Story by: Charles Moxham