ILLUMINATING EDWARDIAN

Introducing light and a sense of spaciousness into an Edwardian home can be a challenge. Thanks to some clever planning, this renovation saw the house transformed into a modern family's mecca

- WORDS LAUREN CLARKE PHOTOGRAPHY EMILY BARTLETT

Preserving the beauty of an older home while marrying it to a contemporary addition can be a challenge. In this renovation from Sarah Bryant, architect, and Tom Minifie, graduate architect, the original property needed more than a little TLC.

“The house was in disrepair,” Sarah says. “The cabinetry was falling apart, there were leaking roofs, and there was a dead possum in the skylight!”

Initially, Sarah had thought to recommend a minor upgrade, but it quickly became apparent that this Edwardian gem needed a little more love and a complete makeover to create a long-term living option for the occupants, a busy couple and their three children. The clients trusted Sarah to produce the best results for the project, delivering her a very open-ended brief — so long as the home suited their young family and had the opportunity to grow with them into the future.