Depending on how you look at it, an old, untouched, architecturally interesting house is either a treasure or a teardown. Fortunately for this 1960s-era modernist home in a suburb of the Adelaide foothills in Australia, its new owners (a couple with two kids) admired its provenance and recognized its potential. Soon after they made the purchase, they hired Northern Edge Studio to update the neglected home and shuttle it into the 21st century without losing its character.
“The house was damp, had some failing plumbing and electricity, and had lots of little things wrong with it,” says architect Paul Cooksey. “Many people would’ve simply bulldozed the house. It’s a credit to the client that they were willing to invest in the future of this home.”
Below, he walks us through how his firm renovated the midcentury gem with sensitivity and sustainability in mind.
Photography by Jonathan VDK, courtesy of Northern Edge Studio.
Above: The compact home (measuring just about 1,600 square feet) will eventually be expanded to accommodate the clients’ growing family, “but immediately, they just needed a house that was weather-tight warm and comfortable,” says Paul. To that end, they replaced the roof and added Earthwool insulation in the roof and walls. Above: The original plan was to make do with the existing kitchen cabinets, but they were too damaged and moldy to salvage. Instead, a late decision was made to replace them with a flatpack option. Above the window is a heat pump mini-split unit. “We wanted to segment the heating cooling system in a way that didn’t require ducting. Using heat pumps is the most efficient, cost effective, and simple way of doing this.” Above: Chairs from Aura Objects surround a modest corner banquette. The light was designed by architect Jørn Utson, who designed the Sydney Opera House. Above: In lieu of strawboard, sustainably sourced Tasmanian oak now covers the ceiling. “We needed something to replace the strawboard that had character and texture. The client wasn’t sure at first, but we are really happy with how it turned out.” Above: Paul bought the vintage media unit as a gift for the client at the completion of the job. “It was sourced from a secondhand store called Retro Room that specializes in mid-century furniture.”
