This house feels very warm and inviting and has done almost from day one,
every part of this house is filled with beautiful objects which express our clients personalities
My name's Huw Wellard and this is Harriet Collins we're from Wellard
Architects we were the designers for this house the Northside House.
Northside House occupies a corner site in Clifton Hill and is a
alterations and additions project to an existing heritage listed building.
The house is a federation era home and it was previously occupied by an Italian
plasterer who used his house as a showroom to exhibit his intricate plaster mouldings.
It was important to retain these delicate details and the
craftsmanship throughout the rest of their home.
So the principal front four rooms of the
house accommodate the bedrooms and bathroom accommodation for the house
enabling us to open up to a double-height space as you walk through the existing hallway.
At that junction point or that transition point, we're into a double-height space
which is filled with a staircase that leads up to a lounge room and study
but also some generous steps down to our dining and living spaces and then
a very generous kitchen and pantry are tucked in behind the stair wall.
Walking through the living space you're led out to a courtyard garden and then a garage
and first-floor studio volume above which flanks the rear boundary of the property.
In terms of a theme for this house we were interested in the idea of compression and release
we see the architecture here as modern but very warm at the same time in many
respects the addition feels as though it's been sitting here for a lot longer than it has been.
How our clients like to live and entertain and having an understanding
of that was really important with this project you know for example
the kitchen had to work equally well when cooking for two or cooking for 20.
When not entertaining the internal space is subtly zoned so that not one particular area feels overly
cavernous. Our clients ask for a cozy interior and the materiality chosen we feel achieves that.
My
name is Yas Bahar and I'm the Victorian State manager at Artedmous.
Wellard approached Artedomus and me specifically to have a design
development meeting at the showroom to discuss what they had selected and
possibly some other alternatives and have a general design discussion about the products.
The main materials used externally are terracotta shingles and brickwork.
Internally black butt timber is used extensively as well as terrazzo flooring and natural stone.
These materials are all very robust and durable that was a consideration for us
because it is a very busy family home so selecting these materials which are
a part of the building's fabric really strengthens our concepts.
We used a wide range of products from Artedomus in this house
the ensuite and bathroom floors are finished in a large format Porcelain Tile from Italy.
The ensuite vanity and basins use Travertine Zena giving a
lot of warmth and calmness to the ensuite itself.
The Verde Bardini was used for the stone vanity in the main bathroom.
There is also some really special tiles from INAX and there's a beautiful bath in the project
that's a real hero piece that's been designed by Patricia Urquiola it's the Vieques bath.
Another key product that's used in this project is the NEROFINO brushed quartzite that's in the
kitchen and when you walk around the Northside House and get a feel for the whole space and
the finishes and the finished product they just work so well together all the different
finishes and create this cozy atmosphere that's great for a cold winter's day.
During the design process, we worked really closely with the client and
with Wellard and during the construction process,
we were really fortunate to work closely with the builders who were Prolifica.
It's just nice to have that sort of working relationship with such amazing
designers and a privilege to be a part of their project in some way or shape.
It's always great working with Artedomus we've always really enjoyed collaborating and working
closely together, particularly on lovely projects like this.
In terms of the favourite part of the project, I think I'm drawn to the materiality,
the juxtaposition between the existing building and our new addition. I feel it
adds something to the vibrancy of Clifton Hill and the tight-knit community that live here.
For me I love where the living and the dining spaces intersect there's
beautiful natural light there and everyone seems to gravitate towards this space.
My favourite part would be the combination of the materials, the colours and the tones
and the materiality, they just all work so beautifully in the space together.
I think the thing that I'm most proud of is how our clients are occupying and inhabiting
their home on a cold winter's day like today the Interiors of this house are really warm
and inviting when I think back to the original client brief that's exactly what they asked for.