Some Victorian houses have instant street appeal, with their wrought-iron verandahs and quaint picket fences. This house in College Street, Hawthorn, certainly didn’t fit in to this picture – with most of its period detailing stripped away with every subsequent renovation. By the time RCA Architects inspected the property, it was a simple arrangement of two rooms either side of a central corridor that led to a sizeable back garden (the site is approximately 470 square metres).

Purchased by a couple with a young child, the brief was to transform a fairly ordinary cottage into a substantial family home (heritage guidelines prevented a complete demolition). The clients had visited Carroll’s own home and appreciated the palette of materials as well as the simple, yet well-articulated floorplan. However, for themselves, they were looking for a larger home that would embrace the considerably larger plot.

Given the original home’s pitched steel roof, RCA was able to conceal a large two-storey addition, benefiting from the site’s northern rear elevation. Although the home’s new contemporary wing, comprising the kitchen, dining and living area, is open plan, there are strategically placed double height voids delineating the spaces. The living area, for example benefits from a double height space with celestial windows drawing light into the core of the floorplan. Likewise, the dining area, adjacent to the kitchen, benefit from a large picture window to a courtyard-style garden. Designed for a couple who enjoy cooking and entertaining at home, RCA included two stone benches – one main bench with appliances, the other forming an indoor/outdoor bench that ‘straddles’ between inside and out – particularly when the large glass and timber doors to the back garden are pulled back. This bench is also the main seating bench for more informal meals, offering views of both the garden and the plunge pool. Given the design is open plan, many of the workings of the home are concealed - some elements such as the fridge and pantry behind a bank of timber doors, one of which leads to the butler’s kitchen and also to a laundry.

As with Carroll’s home, the palette of materials here is simple but thoughtfully considered. Stone is featured on benches and on splashbacks, with the specific Alma stone giving the sense of being carved in situ from areas such as the kitchen floor. Timber also appears extensively, in the form of bookshelves in the living area and in the joinery. And as a backdrop, some of the walls and ceilings are finished in a Venetian plaster – adding texture in the process. The strong connection to the outdoors is also felt on the first floor, with a cantilevered form offering sun protection for the ground floor terrace, and a study/home office that has perforated doors/windows for both ventilation and light.

RCA also reworked the original cottage with the main bedroom suite, including a dressing area and ensuite, occupying what was previously two rooms. While the house remains true to the streetscape, it’s the rear elevation that draws the attention – with its slightly Mexican sensibility of crisp white lines and deep eaves to keep out the sun.