Cart 
This 1904 Federation-era home in Cremorne Point was once admired for its breathtaking harbour views that, over time, have sadly been obscured by surrounding developments.
Homeowners, parents of four, and practising surgeons, Tom and Edwina, wanted a practical and tranquil home to retreat to after leaving the sterile and stressful hospital environment.
They enlisted Toby Breakspear, director of Breakspear Architects, to make the most of their site and connect the home to its surroundings.
A clumsy ’80s rear extension was demolished to insert a two-storey rear addition, shifting focus from the front of the house to the back. The ground floor was organised around the larger-than-life cockspur coral tree that was retained in the demolition.
In the front Federation-style rooms, light and landscape spill in through two original — now unblocked — archways. Light also enters the home through the renovated roof, which acts as a sundial, letting shadows dance around throughout the day.
Beyond these original rooms lies the new extension — a cloister-like space where the kitchen and bay window sit adjacent to a tree canopy. This allows the family move seamlessly between the house, garden and laneway.
Toby describes it as a ‘hybrid indoor-outdoor realm that reconnects the Federation rooms to landscape.’
He took inspiration from the architecture of Spanish cloisters, admiring their quiet power, and how they restore Federation architecture while accessing the surrounding landscape.
‘This has turned out to be the most used part of the house — it’s flexible, informal and changes with the time of day,’ Toby explains. ‘Here it seems that people, architecture, and garden are well attuned. It’s nice when a design becomes something lived-in and enjoyed, something that brings people and their surrounds together.’
The cloister-like addition also works to slow time and movement in the house, suiting the family’s lifestyle and referencing in-between spaces often found in Japanese architecture.
The home’s name, Kyoto House, was chosen in 1905 by the original owners, not in relation to Japanese architecture but rather in memory of their trip to Japan.
‘We like to joke that, after 120 years, the home’s renewed character finally brings the Kyoto into Kyoto House,’ Toby says.
Beyond the two-storey addition lies the renovated courtyard garden, a pool, single garage, and outdoor entertaining areas.
From the front street view, the house still appears to be in its original single-storey Federation-era state. However, a step into the rear laneway reveals the light-filled and functional two-storey addition, just as Tim and Edwina had envisioned.
