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When Anthony Stipanov moved into this Princes Hill house over 20 years ago, it was a student sharehouse.
Now living with his partner Charlene Herbert and three children, it’s safe to say his needs have changed.
No longer fit for purpose, the compact house (115 squares metres on a 155 square metre site) required reconfiguring to open up the communal areas for more space, light, and functionality.
Enter architects Molecule Studio, who were brought onto the project to provide a ‘light touch’ renovation with maximum impact.
‘We approached the design with a light hand, looking for all opportunities to improve the functionality and relationships between spaces, without excessive demolition of the existing walls,’ says Anja de Spa, director of Molecule Studio.
Her team reworked the movement pattern of the home by aligning the hallway and kitchen entrance, creating a seamless journey and view from the front to the back doors.
The positions of the bathroom and kitchen were meanwhile flipped, affording the latter with valuable access to the rear courtyard garden.
The remainder of the floor plan remains unchanged, protecting its period features and ultimately minimising project costs. As Anja explains, ‘The house has not been cleansed, nor has it lost its essence.’
Molecule Studio developed a textured monochrome interior palette, referencing repeating grid patterns across the checkerboard floor tiles (a nod to the previous black and white checkerboard vinyl in the kitchen) with wall tiles and wired safety glass.
‘We were not looking for seamlessness, rather, each element brings character and contribution in the space,’ says Anja.
Light grey laminate kitchen joinery is treated as an insertion in the space — distinct from the white painted brick walls and timber ceiling — inclusive of a European laundry and pantry.
The renovations have allowed the young family who live here to more easily connect and thrive, through the new living, kitchen, dining and courtyard spaces.
It’s still the same compact house they know and love, just with a little bit more!
