Branching OUT

A cottage renovation pays homage to the past in a rather surprising way,

- CHRIS PEARSON

When the owners first entered this three-bedroom home in Sydney’s inner west in 2019, it was a revelatory and perhaps even spiritual moment. “A huge north-facing rear window in the upstairs open plan offered a church-like view of a jacaranda tree, which filled the living room with light and colour,” says the owner. “The house and tree had peacefully coexisted for more than a century, creating so much charm and character.”

Yet the 1970s addition to the Victorian cottage, which produced the cathedral-like glazing that framed such a spectacle, was also its downfall. The kitchen was a ‘nook’ accommodating just one person and divorced from the open plan, and both were robbed of valuable space by a large balcony. Meanwhile, downstairs, a second living area and bedroom were dark and damp, signalling a serious moisture problem. “The bones were good,” says the owner, “but layers of renovations over the years weren’t sitting well.” So, the couple called on architect Kirsten Stanisich of Richards Stanisich, having seen an online walk-through of her Redfern Terrace. “That sold us. It was a sympathetic update that celebrated the quirks of the old rather than stripping them out.”