In Melbourne, a Retiree Couple’s Weatherboard Cottage Gets a Luminous Extension

Seven years after buying a century-old home in Melbourne’s Inner West suburbs, the owners—a couple returning to the area after retiring from their careers in Sydney—had one last job to finish before moving into the weatherboard cottage full-time. They approached Roam Architects to add the finishing touch: a generous extension with a light-filled living space.

The couple wanted the new extension to seamlessly flow into the sunny backyard garden where they planned to spend most of their time. Melbourne’s fickle weather gave the architects the added challenge of optimizing the outdoor space for year-round use. "Beyond that, the clients wanted to retain the home’s two existing bedrooms and create a separate library area to accommodate their extensive book collection," says Roam.