An Architect Couple’s Experimental Home Is an Ode to Recycled Materials
Over 15 years, the cofounders of Splinter Society give a tiny worker’s cottage in Melbourne a gleaming goth makeover.
Over 15 years, the cofounders of Splinter Society give a tiny worker’s cottage in Melbourne a gleaming goth makeover.
In 2005, recently graduated architects Asha Nicholas and Chris Stanley bought a tiny worker’s cottage in the Melbourne suburb of East Brunswick—and they spent the next 15 years experimenting and evolving the space into a three-bedroom home as they started a family. At the heart of the transformation is a rich palette of recycled materials and an unusual floor plan with an abundance of nooks and angles that introduce light while maintaining privacy.
The couple did most of the build themselves, turning to friends for help with particularly challenging elements. "We did it on a budget—but it was paid for in other ways," says architect-owner, Chris Stanley. "It took away most of our weekends throughout our 20s—most of our hangovers were spent building rather than watching movies!"
Photograph by Sharyn Cairns
"We changed so much from when we started at the age of 25 to when we finished at the age of 40," says Chris. "By being hands on and playing around with ideas, we came up with a lot of stuff that we wouldn’t have if we were sitting at the drawing board and pushing to get things done quickly. And, as young architects, getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn."
The top edge of the timber cladding is deliberately uneven. "I like a soft edge on buildings—it’s like looking at a skyline and seeing a broken line, rather than a hard, horizontal line," explains Chris. "It also provided a bit of privacy for the rooftop bath."
Photograph by Sharyn Cairns
To accommodate this incremental process, the couple developed a framework to inform the design that could be adjusted as they discovered new techniques and materials they wanted to incorporate. They liked the historical qualities of the early 20th-century worker’s cottage, and they wanted to retain its street presence, gabled form, and scale—while intervening to open it up and release it from its long, narrow plan.
Despite the prevalence of black throughout the home, it is full of light thanks to the many windows and skylights. "You get such an unexpected play of light and shadow throughout the house," says architect-owner Asha Nicholas. "We came to love the warm, golden glow of the westerly sun."
Photograph by Sharyn Cairns
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Architect Couple’s Experimental Home Is an Ode to Recycled Materials
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