INTO the woods

Nature is never far away in this grand renovation of an Edwardian bungalow on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

- Chris Pearson

The owners of this five-bedroom home on Sydney's Lower North Shore had an intriguing brief for architect Toby Breakspear of BRKSPR.

While they wanted it connected to nature and drenched in daylight, they asked him to achieve this in an unusual way. When they bought the Edwardian brick bungalow in 2019 for their growing family, they were drawn to its handsome period elements, all intact.

“It had great character with distinctive architectural features such as ornate ceilings, leadlight windows and a wide hallway, together with a reasonably sized block,” says the owner.

But much less appealing was an eighties addition. “The house lacked an entertaining area or any connection from the kitchen to the garden,” he says. “With a bathroom on the back, it had zero relationship with the yard,” adds Toby. And that yard sloped down towards the rear of the house, where it came to a retaining wall. Its only redeeming feature – it was dominated by a handsome cockspur coral tree, which, being deciduous, provided shade in summer and made way for warming sunshine in winter. Little wonder it would remain a defining feature in the home.