A Grand Victorian Glows Like a Lantern After a Luminous Retrofit

Timmins + Whyte carves out a sun-soaked haven in a heritage-listed Melbourne home.

Jul 31, 2020 - 21:17
A Grand Victorian Glows Like a Lantern After a Luminous Retrofit

Timmins + Whyte carves out a sun-soaked haven in a heritage-listed Melbourne home.

Tide Design created the dining table, dining chairs, and living room lounge chairs.

When a couple bought a late-19th-century Victorian for their family of five, they knew right away that a renovation was in order. Despite the home’s high heritage value, the property had long suffered from lack of maintenance, and it was disconnected from the outdoors and natural light.

Having fallen in love with the work of Timmins + Whyte, the couple reached out to the Melbourne-based architecture firm to help them open up their dark house with a sunny extension where they could live, cook, and gather with friends and extended family.

Whitewashed Tasmanian oak slats line the ceiling of the kitchen, which is designed to be hard-wearing for a family with a passion for cooking. Custom joinery surrounds the space.

Whitewashed Tasmanian oak slats line the ceiling of the kitchen, which is designed to be hard-wearing for a family with a passion for cooking. Custom joinery surrounds the space.

Peter Bennetts

Ice Green marble from Signorino Stone forms the backsplash and countertops. The island bench was custom built with 2PAC grooved MDF in the front and Tasmanian oak legs. The bespoke kitchen hood is made from folded metal with a bronze detail seam up the middle.

Ice Green marble from Signorino Stone forms the backsplash and countertops. The island bench was custom built with 2PAC grooved MDF in the front and Tasmanian oak legs. The bespoke kitchen hood is made from folded metal with a bronze detail seam up the middle.

Peter Bennetts

"The clients both work in the mental health and psychology space, and they wanted their home to give them a sense of calm, quiet, and well-being," says Timmins + Whyte Director Sally Timmins. The firm tore down a 1980s addition to make way for a new extension that celebrates indoor/outdoor living. "The main living and kitchen space is quiet and soft, and feels like a day spa or meditative space."

A day spa–like feel is achieved through an abundance of natural light that illuminates the warm interior palette of pinkish hues and honey-colored Tasmanian oak.

A day spa–like feel is achieved through an abundance of natural light that illuminates the warm interior palette of pinkish hues and honey-colored Tasmanian oak.

Peter Bennetts

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