Mcphail House

A modern extension meets Victorian charm in this timeless family home, blending heritage character with contemporary design flair.

This home balances timeless charm with modern allure. The old and the new merge together in harmony, with continuity and profound respect for the heritage context of the original home.

The existing dwelling was made up of a late-Victorian-period single-fronted cottage, and to the rear, circa 1980 renovations were added. The design brief was to create a single-storey addition to the home.

The block the home sat on presented a unique design opportunity that Aydan Doherty from Design By AD was eager to explore. “It was a little different to your typical single-fronted; it was just under a double-block size in width, and we had the opportunity to punch an extension out to the side,” he says.

The project would retain some of the existing dwelling, the front facade, two bedrooms and a hallway. The new extension would comprise a master bedroom with WIR/ensuite, bathroom, laundry, kitchen, dining, lounge and children’s bedrooms with built-in robes and desks.

The homeowners, a couple in their 40s with two children, gave Aydan carte blanche to offer design suggestions. “Externally and internally, the clients were open to all ideas, with no precedent or examples of what they wanted to achieve,” he says. There was just one caveat for the external facade. “It needed to have a wow factor and be different from the norm in some way,” explains Aydan. His clever suggestion of a tie-in to the family’s commercial louvre business was incorporated into the external facade of the extensions.

The front rooms that were retained are cosy and private, offering a sense of respite and restfulness. The new open-plan addition was designed to create cohesiveness and connection. “The restrained tones and natural textures ensure the space will age gracefully, evolving with time rather than feeling fixed in a specific era,” reveals Aydan.

In the new extension, spaces were opened up, creating delightful light-filled warm interiors with break-out areas. The interiors are fresh and modern. The internal palette was thoughtfully selected to reference the old and the new. “The material palette — comprising repurposed timber, polished concrete and a monochromatic base — was designed to achieve a sense of balance and timelessness,” says Aydan.

Visually, it was also important to connect to external landscaping, whether that be borrowed vistas beyond or new planting. “We feel it’s important on these tight sites to increase visibility to the external elements to create a greater sense of space,” he suggests.

Sustainability measures include the large overhang to the west facade, allowing maximum light and minimal heat gain. Other aspects include the glazed north atrium, which introduces northern light, minimal south-facing windows, solar, hydronic heating, high-performance double-glazed windows, and high levels of new insulation.

Aydan says the new addition draws inspiration from the layered and rich history of the existing home. “The resulting materials and formal silhouette continue a similar story in place through a contemporary lens,” he explains.

This project is modern yet timeless, subtle yet visionary. “A more contemporary interpretation of detailing and the handmade is expressed in the addition,” says Aydan, “where generous openings and glazing connect the interior to the surrounding landscape.”

His favourite part of the design is the façade — “how the master bedroom pokes its head out to the side”, he says. “Taking form and the continuous horizontal lines from the existing weatherboard house but reinterpreting that to almost making it feel as if it’s a shadow of its predecessor.”

Article Featured in Grand Designs Australia Magazine 14.1