Project / Completed 2021
The local project
“Muted timber insertions form the interior, running across the flooring, and encasing the integrated joinery and kitchen. Natural stone and painted plaster then add a balanced and softened counter to the timber, allowing the light to amplify.”
Kew Cottage is an addition and alterations project built around a Victorian era house. The sleek home pairs heritage elements with contemporary design to create an open and connected space. Natural light plays a key role in the home, complementing the brief to ’bring light into the house while keeping the charm of the existing cottage’. With that in mind, skylights divide the main spaces and unique geometry creates dynamic spatial volume resulting in a home where every room is unique.
The design was brought to life by Walter&Walter, a Melbourne-based design office that prides themselves on exploring ‘the possibilities of architecture by thoughtfully considering the relationships between tradition, culture, sustainability and context’. Lead by Andrew and Michelle Walter, the team at Walter&Walter possess an impressive portfolio consisting of award-winning cultural and residential projects as well as print, digital and installation projects.
Kew Cottage combines the use of light and spatial understanding with a muted material palette consisting of crisp white walls, Spandek cladding and GoodWood Victorian ash timber for added softness and warmth. The modernised heritage home integrates its existing charm and character with contemporary finishes for a harmonious balance between old and new.
GoodWood is our range of Victorian ash, known for being consistently blonde, straight, stable, rigorously graded and unique to ASH. The floor to ceiling cabinetry throughout the home is made using GoodWood Victorian ash veneer, creating a sense of natural character and charm. Choosing GoodWood veneer means that you receive a high quality Victorian ash in an application that allows for greater design versatility without compromising on a natural timber appearance. What’s even better is that our veneers can be matched with all our GoodWood applications for continuous flow of design. Explore the potential of GoodWood here.
Walter&Walter
“We chose Victorian Ash from both a sustainability and aesthetic point of view. With all our projects we are mindful of where our products come from and the distance they need to travel to reach the site so as to minimise the carbon footprint of our projects. From an aesthetic standpoint the lightness and softness of the material was a deciding factor.”
