An Emerging Architect Turns a Victorian Terrace House Into a Lush Inner-City Oasis
This luminous Melbourne home makes the most of a tight floor plan on a small, inner-city site.
When Ellie Taylor renovated a traditional Victorian terrace house into a light-filled home, she was both architect and client. "It felt a little like driving blindfolded at times," she says. "Ultimately, however, it gave me a richer experience and deeper understanding of what future clients are looking for when they approach an architect."
The home is a traditional, single-fronted Victorian terrace. The architects reinstated many of the original features that were missing from the front of the home before the renovation.
Shannon McGrath
The young architect co-founded her practice—Lande Architects—with Lachlan McArdle in July 2019. When Ellie and her husband purchased the traditional, single-fronted Victorian terrace on Charles St in a relatively untouched state, the emerging practice decided to use the project to help launch their business.
Each room in the home has views to one of two courtyards or the roof garden. A window seat in the living room embraces the transition between interior and exterior.
Shannon McGrath
Before the renovation, the layout of the home was typical of an original Victorian terrace, with a lean-to kitchen and external bathroom. "The small parcel of land was very restrictive on the layout of the extension. So, this was developed quite quickly," says Ellie. "The challenge was in creating light, airy spaces which connected the inside of the house with the external pockets."
The kitchen/dining space is oriented sideways, making the most of the narrow site and opening out onto the rear courtyard to create an indoor/outdoor living space.
Shannon McGrath
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Emerging Architect Turns a Victorian Terrace House Into a Lush Inner-City Oasis
