We were asked to design some alterations to a peculiar but beautiful home – a post-war, art-deco, double brick house suspended on concrete subframing with curved walls and textured render.

The existing house was simply reconfigured to locate the bedrooms to the front and a new entry provided through the rear garden to the new extension – a modest elevated kitchen and dining room to the rear of the existing house.

The new space is a simple but very deliberate, drawing from the scale and character of the existing home with a focus to three key outlooks: the long view over the road to the park beyond; the corner window to the treetops and mountains beyond; and the sky.

Although a small footprint, the living space enjoys the volume from the existing roof form, which allows the ceiling to fold and sweep towards the sky view.

A reduced palette of white and timber with built in joinery allows the family to inhabit the space with their artworks and small artefacts. The home is for a small family and the spaces are scaled to provide intimacy within the larger living volume.