Combining architectural styles isn’t new, we’ve seen it many times before. The difference with Autumn House is it takes on three styles of architecture, not trying to combine them but, in fact, celebrating their differences. The original Victorian terrace was owned and lived in by architect, Mike Jorgensen. Jorgensen did extensive reconfigurations and renovations on the property in the ’80s and when he passed in 2017, the current homeowners purchased the property. They commissioned Studio Bright with the task of sympathetically balancing the architecture of Victorian Jorgensen while creating a functional home for a young family. Autumn House effectively became two restorations and one addition.
“The brief was to provide a contemporary family home with rooms and spaces sited in and around existing buildings, the mature elm tree, and providing a variety of intertwined garden spaces for the twin girls to explore and play,” says Melissa Bright, director of Studio Bright.
Autumn House has three parts: the original Victorian, the Jorgensen addition, and the new contemporary works. The body of work undertaken by Studio Bright involved the restoration of the Victorian front and hallway, including bringing archways and cornices back to their former glory and adding some playful detailing to suggest a modern intervention. The space has been reconceived as night-time spaces with two kids’ bedrooms, shared bathroom, small laundry and informal living area.
The Jorgensen renovation was respectfully kept intact, honouring its rich material palette. The new, north-facing, two-storey extension celebrates the mature elm tree at its heart. This “unapologetically contemporary” space houses the functional aspects of a family home, including living, kitchen and dining areas, as well as an activity space with private study, bike room and services shed. The upper level consists of the master bedroom, ensuite and roof-top deck.
“One of the most complex design challenges was the marrying of the Victorian, the Jorgensen addition and the new extension. Many discussions were had on the minutiae of details and junctions — where to stop and start a period skirt and how to transition the Victorian. Small touches assume a critical role in clarifying the right amount of contemporaneity balanced alongside the desire to respect and celebrate the heritage of the Victorian and Jorgensen work beforehand,” says Melissa.
The internal palette of Autumn House responds to its existing buildings and landscape. Colours and materials are inspired by the much-loved elm tree and the playful bright greens, rich exposed timbers, and red-brick flooring of the ’80s Jorgensen extension. The home’s exterior expression takes on a whole new form with a structural mesh facade. “Composed of a delicate framework of steel, atop a perimeter garden and finished with an expanded steel mesh screen”, the facade appears as a floating veil, solid yet transparent and cocooning the master suite inside. Adorned with various species of climbers, the mesh screen will one day become a wall of lush greenery, providing privacy for the family and a welcome site in its urban context.
“In such a gritty laneway environment, it’s so nice to see the contrast on the inside — the house as an inner-city garden retreat … we think that even in tight urban areas, there is an opportunity for lots of green, this benefit going beyond just this family but as an offering to the neighbourhood and the lane,” says Melissa.
