Brunswick House by Lisa Breeze
Brunswick House by Melbourne-based architect Lisa Breeze celebrates the existing history of an Edwardian cottage, mindfully bringing it into a modern context.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Cathy Schusler
Allowing a better connection between inside and out, opening to the surrounds was key to the new addition. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
Funnelled through the central corridor are the new living, dining, and kitchen spaces. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The calm palette features throughout the house, including the kitchen space. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
Designed by Lisa Breeze Architect, the restoration and expansion of Brunswick House combines a celebration of the existing history with a contemporary animation of the new spaces, actively engaging the extents of the site.
The homeowners were enamoured by the detailing and crafted nature of the original home, and although it needed restoration work, decided to take on the project as an evolving process.
Located on a quiet street in Brunswick in Melbourne, the home is sympathetically restored, a nod to the architectural history of the area. The addition sits unobtrusively from street view to the rear, behind the silhouette of the original home. The design focuses on enlivening the existing and injecting the personalities of its owners through the new addition.
Built by Silverstream Constructions, Brunswick House is immersed in newly curated gardens, designed by MUD Office, completing the picture and optimising the site from the boundaries. As with many older homes, the sense of separation from the formal planning contradicts the way we want to live. The addition acts as a connection between an open series of spaces, aiming to solve this.
Allowing a better connection between inside and out, opening to the surrounds was also key to the new addition, making the connections between the older and newer elements feel more deliberate.
Originally of Edwardian origins, the ornateness of the timber and plaster details of the original home become a balancing point to counter the new. Instead of competing, the two eras of the home complements one another, one more ornate and the other more open and clean-lined.
Funnelled through the central corridor, the new living, dining, and kitchen space opens to the rear garden. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
A pop of bold colour anchors the sunken living space. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
Instead of competing, the two eras of the home complements one another. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
“The addition sits unobtrusively from street view to the rear, behind the silhouette of the original home.”
Accents of colour hidden in the bar unit. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
A pop of bold colour anchors the sunken living space. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The calming bathroom space. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
The same soft palette extends to all the bathrooms. Photo: Cathy Schusler. Styling: Natalie James
“Funnelled through the central corridor, the new living, dining, and kitchen space opens to the rear garden, while an upper-level tucks further bedrooms and a dedicated parents’ retreat away from view.”
