According to Megan Burns, managing director of CM Studio, there was previously ‘no natural sunlight’ in this single-fronted Victorian terrace in Glebe, Sydney.
The design studio was brought in to overcome this major shortcoming, by opening up the living room to a new rear courtyard with views across the surrounding period homes.
The biggest challenge of the project was achieving this vision without impacting on the young family’s privacy. Megan explains, ‘We tweaked the height of the courtyard walls and used our 3D software to understand what the existing site conditions were, so we could make sure the beautiful aspect over the rows of terraces in Glebe was maintained.
‘We looked a lot at contemporary London terrace renovations as the centre of design inspiration.’
Behind the heritage facade now lies a earthy interior palette of light and bright materials. Oak joinery is layered with brick and stone, while the bathroom features subtly-textured travertine, curving lines reminiscent of a Mediterranean spa, and micro cement.
‘We opted to utilise a palette of finishes that were tonal, timeless, and hardwearing for the growing young family,’ says Megan.
Built-in furniture in the living spaces creates a minimalist appearance that maximises on functionality.
The result is a calm and tranquil home that makes the most of its compact footprint, and captures the best of Glebe.
