2021 - 2025
A two‑storey Federation terrace built c1904 occupies a small row of three dwellings in the harbour setting of Balmain East. New works replace a compromised 1990s rear extension to resolve inefficient planning, consolidate circulation and improve amenity within a comparable footprint. A prominent front facade, internal staircase and few surviving original rooms are retained, while a restrained palette of off‑form concrete, brickwork and exposed metals is carefully introduced.
Daylight is drawn through a large skylight above the stairwell, framing borrowed views to neighbouring gum trees and transforming a previously dark mid‑plan space. At ground level, a compact veneered box marks the junction between old and new structure. The volume conceals services, laundry and storage, and defines a connective hallway between formal terrace rooms and new living spaces.
The new rear addition is organised around a long planted courtyard. Continuous glazing to a courtyard-facing living space allows the interior to read as an expanded full-width garden room. Tiered planting along the boundary wall provides privacy and soft dappled light.
At the courtyard’s glazed corner, an expressed equal‑angle column forms a hinge between kitchen, lounge and garden zones. Kitchen elements are conceived as discrete, furniture pieces. A mid-height unit acts as a spatial divider to the adjacent lounge. Timber veneer volumes are suspended from brickwork. A stainless-steel table constructed from equal-angle sections provides additional bench space and echoes the adjacent column at a finer scale.
Seen from the garden, a deep concrete lintel spans the width of the site, presenting a strong horizontal band in elevation. A clear datum is established where brickwork meets the lintel downturn, continuing internally to visually reconnect garden, courtyard and living spaces.
A concealed staircase leads up to a private attic retreat, saturated in a single hue, with a tree-lined outlook over the harbour.
Nestled under mature trees in the rear of yard, the guest studio anchors the garden while providing private access to an adjoining pocket park.
The project was built by Grosser Constructions. Landscaping designed, paved and planted by Spirit Level. Structural design by Rebal Engineering. John Oultram was the Heritage Consultant and LPDS was the Planning Consulant.
Photography © 2026 Ross Honeysett. All rights reserved.
