Rebecca Naughtin Architect

Tucked away to the side of the kitchen behind a stained glass sliding door reclaimed from the existing house, hides the laundry. Featuring Laminex Pale Honey joinery, this room is highly functional and connects directly to the backyard, washing line and wood worker’s shed.

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The Paperock Solid and blackbutt kitchen island is the command centre of this new open plan space, overlooking the dining area, outdoor deck, and living room. Our client’s collection of furniture and family painted artworks elevate the interior living space and is anchored by the Laminex Burnt Ochre joinery. We love the reeded glass window!

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Welcome the embrace of Pitch Black Bungalow, where warmth and homeliness radiate from carefully chosen colours, natural timber, and bespoke furniture. The blackbutt and Dulux Coral Atoll home office bridge the new extension and period front rooms seamlessly. White walls and polished concrete floors accentuate the elegant joinery, where to one side, a Laminex Moroccan Clay kitchen awaits.

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The essence of a home lies not only in its architecture and inhabitants but also in the harmony it creates with the surrounding garden and cherished pets. While greatly frustrated by the construction process, our client's dogs are finally enjoying the inside outside lifestyle facilitated by the new extension.

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The sweeping roof lines, bold blackness, and generous glazing of Pitch Black offers a striking contrast to the original off-white Californian Bungalow façade. Large fascia and barge boards in Dulux Black Caviar and blackbutt soffit lining accentuate the building's form. These optimised roof forms enhance the interior's natural daylighting, maximising solar gains during winter while providing effective shading during summer.

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Pitch Black Bungalow, our latest Northcote renovation, revitalises a gloomy bungalow by converting the rear living spaces into a bright, open-plan extension that seamlessly merges with the garden. Through a sleek glazed façade of sliding doors, the kitchen and dining rooms effortlessly extend onto the outdoor decking, offering an idyllic spot to bask in the winter sun.

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The current garden, along with the new outdoor entertaining area, pool house, and swimming pool, form the ideal venue for a home entertainment. This dream space includes an outdoor fire, barbeque area, pool table, and a bar featuring home-brewed beer. Architecturally, the new outdoor deck area is framed by exposed steel columns and beams, showcasing custom guttering and steel wiring designed for climbing plants.

The heritage school building, relocated to the current site from Blackwood Forest in 1999, will be stripped back to its original open plan state, to create a spacious kitchen, living and dining room. The original timber-framed multi-pane double-hung sash windows will serve as a backdrop, filling the kitchen with natural light.

This historic Phillip Island bungalow is going to be lovingly rejuvenated by our talented owner-builder client. The existing weatherboard house and rear school building are swapping their school-blue for off-white, while the proposed carport, garage, playroom, pantry and rear outdoor entertaining area will feature contemporary steel detailing with bold black cladding.

The kitchen is a striking contrast, when juxtaposed with the living room’s interplay of warmth and texture, courtesy of the European Oak joinery and the exquisite Tongue & Groove Chamoisee flooring. Adjacent to the kitchen, the lounge room boasts thoughtfully designed joinery, complemented by an elongated feature shelves. This inviting and snug area offers the perfect setting for game nights or leisurely lounging, while offering glimpses into the exterior courtyard beyond, inviting a seamless connection with the outdoors.

Construction by Clancy Constructions
Photographed by Tatjana Plitt

Crafting an inviting kitchen that serves as a communal space was a crucial element in fulfilling our clients' vision. In analysing the needs of our client, who is a skilled chef both professionally, we recognised the importance of establishing a domain that seamlessly integrates the rear addition with every facet of their home. By eliminating the distinct boundary between functional areas and the relaxed living space, we were able to forge a harmonious connection that promotes effortless flow throughout the entire ground floor.

Construction by Clancy Constructions
Photographed by Tatjana Plitt

The OH House showcases a fusion of design elements, seamlessly connecting the interior and exterior spaces. The contrasting aesthetics of the kitchen's sleek monochrome palette, with black accents complementing the inviting Dulux Silver Tea Set, are enhanced by the warmth of the Tongue & Groove Chamoisee flooring. This dynamic combination is a dialogue between the different aspects of the home, one that is both refined and inviting.

Construction by Clancy Constructions
Images by Tatjana Plitt

The OH House’s captivating interplay of steel supports and the carefully crafted forms of the façade framework. These elements not only contribute to the overall aesthetic but also play a vital role in creating a unique pattern and articulation. As the sun sets, the hit-and-miss battens reveal glimpses of the home's interior, inviting onlookers to catch a glimpse beyond.

In busy Fitzroy, privacy and surveillance are key considerations in façade design. We understand the importance of respecting your adjoining neighbours and maintaining the local aesthetic. Our assessment and design process prioritises these factors, resulting in a loft space that serves as a secluded balcony for the master bedroom, offering a picturesque view of the surrounding treeline

The OH House in Fitzroy is a captivating display of light and shadow through its operable façade shutters. Completed in mid-2021, this contemporary addition and alteration to the traditional Terrace home embraces the juxtaposition of old and new. With a dual frontage, the property faces both a neighbouring street and the rear, prompting a thoughtful design that harmonises both streetscapes. Highlighting the careful consideration given to the home's role within its surroundings.

The horizontal lines of the existing weatherboard are reinterpreted by the vertically standing seam cladding to the first floor, and the timber cladding to the mezzanine. The dark cladding and black windows provide a modern and recessed palette for the new works. This pallet of materials and colours complement the existing whilst providing a distinctive aesthetic.

The projects’ sloped site is used to an advantage at the rear and incorporates different levels, staggering heights throughout the design. A carport sits at natural ground level, with a mezzanine above connecting the ground and first floors with a feature staircase.

The contemporary extension to the rear of a historic Edwardian home is a subtle peak, just visible behind the tiled roof. The fence is set back from the front boundary, creating a space for native planting to be enjoyed by all neighbours. A new picket fence has timber members angled to compliment the roof’s pitch.

“As the clients, one being an author, loved reading and writing, books became a great design initiative and spectacle, especially around the new staircase which replaced the old timber spiral stair.

The new spaces were designed to maximise exposure to the north sun whilst design features such as solar panels and hydronic heating was used to further enhance the dwelling's sustainability qualities. The north-facing garden and decking area are new family-friendly space that allows for indoor-outdoor living with a great connection to the garden from the new indoor living spaces.

From the street, the original Victorian dwelling remains, but the renovated spaces have transformed the two-unit interior into a comfortable, light-filled, easy-to-maintain space for a family to enjoy.”



https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/6350501/before-after-a-double-fronted-family-home

“Each apartment had exhausted 1950s European-style interiors, however, when combined, their exterior maintained heritage significance. The prioritization of the restoration of the front rooms and street façade was of great importance to both the clients and the architect. The front facade commends its original heritage design, whilst traditional terrace archways and elegant cornice detailing were retained and upgraded within the renovated dwelling.”



https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/6350501/before-after-a-double-fronted-family-home

A snippet of our recent article on Houzz. Before & After: A double-fronted family home

“The original dwelling of Albie’s House, located in the vibrant suburb of Northcote, was two separate dwellings that have now been renovated to create a double-fronted family home. The clients came to Rebecca Naughtin Architect with an open-minded and sustainably conscious design brief, with an overarching idea of creating a large open-plan kitchen and living area for the family to enjoy. The footprint of the building remained the same and the two apartments were
combined to create a more practical family home.”

https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/6350501/before-after-a-double-fronted-family-home

Opening out into a entirely new space! The slab has been poured at our Brunswick house and now framing to follow.

Rarely seen view, original brick fireplaces and hard plaster exposed.

Not pictured – the snake found in crawl space!

Our latest project, Green Gables, in Brunswick is under construction! With the rear lean-to demolished, a framed view straight to the backyard olive tree is a first peak of things to come.

Sunken lounges are back with a vengeance, and this one is a beauty. An intimate home entertainment space for a gamer, bespoke shelves for cats to climb, and timber steps up to bifold doors to allow guests to enjoy the adjacent laneway.

At the threshold of the checkerboard flooring, the kitchen and dining area is enlarged by a step down and dramatic sloped ceilings. The space features brass detailing, a black granite workbench and a wall of joinery utilising space under the boundary bulkhead.

Our newest project, The House of Assembly, is characterised by a brief of black, white, and gold has inspired a moody and sophisticated palette for this Fitzroy renovation.

Framing underway, with joists laid ready for the next storey. Head to our stories for more….

Classic junction of old meeting new. Existing masonry wall connected to timber framing.

Construction underway at our latest Northcote project! The first structural slab has been poured, with burnished concrete topping to follow.