Smethwick
Cottage

There is an enduring appeal to the way these houses greet the street. A low fence contains a small garden, while the verandah gives you somewhere to sit and watch the world go by. You can wave to a neighbour or tend a few plants while feeling sheltered from the footpath. This small space between the house and the street allows privacy and participation to sit comfortably together. It is a quality I think we too often lose in contemporary housing.

Inside, the front rooms had plenty of character. However, the rooms at the rear were dark, and several steps down to the garden interrupted what could have been a lovely connection between inside and out.

Through our discussions with the clients, we learned how much they valued being able to host friends, as well as having space just for them. It was about being able to fling open the doors in summer and cosy up by the fire in winter. They wanted a home full of character and warmth, with rooms that reflected their gorgeous personalities.

As a long-term family home, it also needed rooms that could adapt over time. A study might become a nursery; a bedroom might later become a snug for winter. Ample, well-considered storage was also essential.

Retaining the front rooms and adding two storeys at the rear was a natural starting point. This would allow for three bedrooms and a good-sized kitchen and dining area. Beyond these obvious design moves, the challenge was to make the rooms feel generous on a narrow site while preserving the cottage’s charm as it grew.

Concept design begins with understanding what can be built on the site. We consider the neighbouring buildings, the path of the sun and opportunities for light and outdoor space. We review the planning controls, heritage requirements and building regulations.

Smethwick Cottage sits on a narrow east-west site, with a shared wall to each neighbour. Gardens and openings at either end of the property offer opportunities for morning and afternoon light to enter the home. Heritage requirements meant any first-floor addition had to be set back from the street. Overshadowing requirements limited how far it could extend towards the rear. Together, these defined the space available for a new upper floor.

Understanding what can be built is only part of the picture. Our design framework helps us consider what should be built. We think about the past, present and future. We look at the history of the house and its surroundings. We consider the clients’ lives and values. We think about the atmosphere we want to create together.

We identify a few lines of enquiry specific to each project. These give our research focus and help us choose which ideas and references to explore. They build a foundation for the design and give us something to return to as we make decisions. For Smethwick Cottage, we explored the craftsmanship of the existing house, British cottage and terrace architecture adapted to Melbourne, and the cultural fabric of Carlton.

We explored these ideas alongside the practical requirements of the brief. From this work, we developed two design directions for the clients to review.

Both explored how to bring more light into the house, connect it to the garden and make the most of the space available. One took a more open-plan approach. The other created a slight sense of separation between the kitchen, dining and living areas. The options presented different approaches to concealing the stair, designing the fireplace and either concealing or exposing the television. Comparing them gave us a starting point for a richer conversation about what the clients liked and why.

The clients preferred Option B. They liked the cabinetry detailing, the relationship between the dining table and island bench, and the practical wall of storage beneath the stair.

The views above show the relationship between the kitchen, dining and living areas. Full-height folding doors open towards the courtyard. Skylights over the hall and stair bring light into the deeper part of the plan.

We presented these views alongside the materials below to communicate the atmosphere of the space and how its elements work together. In this phase, our conversations become more specific. We move from the general layout to resolving the positions of the island bench, sink and oven, and the arrangement of cupboards.

Documentation turns the design we’ve developed with the clients into the information the builder needs to price and build it. The drawings show the layout, dimensions and construction details. Capturing this accurately reduces the risk of price overruns, miscommunication and disappointment when things aren’t built as the clients had hoped.

Documentation describes the project at different levels of detail. We work through how materials meet, how joinery is made, and how doors, trims and lights sit together. These smaller decisions shape the character of the room. Resolving and recording them takes time, but leaves fewer assumptions to be made on site. It helps carry the design we’ve developed together through to the finished home. Good detailing is a skill developed over many years of practice, and there is always more to learn.

The kitchen elevation shows how the joinery, doors and architraves relate to the level change and bathroom landing. It also records the positions of selected wall lights and pendants. The joinery drawings set out places for pantry supplies, coffee cups and the things used for dinner parties.

The front-room window draws on heritage millwork and timber detailing, interpreted in our own way. You might not notice every detail, but a room that feels relaxed and full of character takes careful thought to draw and execute.