Couple keeps the best, ditches the rest in stunning Californian bungalow renovation

From the street, the timber Californian bungalow looks just like it did when built in late 1920s. Its leadlight bay windows and Spanish Mission glass front doors frame a well-established elm in the suburban front garden.

“We’ve always loved the timber house, but we could see its shortcomings,” says Jacinta Van Liempd, who lives in the home with her partner, Mark Howland, and their dog Buzz.

Rather than ‘ripping the guts’ out of the original home, they briefed architect Blair Smith to keep as much of the original fabric as possible.Credit: Supplied

The couple loved the charm of their bungalow in Strathmore, in Melbourne’s inner north-west, but were tired of living with its tiny bathroom, outdoor toilet and the virtually intact 1920s kitchen that was difficult to manoeuvre in.

But rather than ‘ripping the guts’ out of the original home, they briefed architect Blair Smith to keep as much of the original fabric as possible.

“You could say that we waited until all the children had left home and could look at the type of renovation that we were looking for,” says Howland, who was also responsible for building the award-winning extension, designed by Blair Smith Architects and receiving an architecture award from the Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter).

While the home’s inconveniences were tolerable while raising children, their hard work over the years led them to take on a major renovation.

So, apart from all the rich leadlight windows, timber wainscotting and plate racks, Smith also retained the ornate timber fretwork in the passage – separating the past from the present.

Van Liempd went a step further by retaining all the home’s original pendant lights, wallpapers and even the delightful floral curtains in the main bedroom. “There’s a history that comes from these finishes and fixtures. I just couldn’t let them go,” she said.

Although the period charm remains, there’s new built-in joinery in the main bedroom and a spacious ensuite that replaced the closet-like bathroom. Down the hall, concealed behind a new timber-battened wall, is the second of the two bedrooms and on the other side, a guest powder room and a separate laundry.

Real estate agents might say that only having two bedrooms (including the main bedroom) is a mistake in terms of resale, but for this couple, it’s about creating a house for them, a couple rather than a growing family.

There’s also a planter box that separates what’s referred to as the ‘library’ – but is in reality a place to hear the vinyl on the vintage Bang & Olufsen record player, circa 1970s.

“I recall the initial discussion was about something that was easy to live in, but included things they had grown fond of,” says Smith, pointing out the iron sheds in the back garden, the 1950s Hills Hoist washing line and the fruit trees – from avocados to an established lemon tree.

In contrast to the lean-tos, the recent extension is one simple open-plan kitchen, dining and living area – with the latter taking the form of a sunken lounge, defined by a change of level and a built-in planter box.

There’s also a planter box that separates what’s referred to as the ‘library’ – but is in reality a place to hear the vinyl on the vintage Bang & Olufsen record player, circa 1970s. And although this area could have been dark, being at the threshold between the old and new, it’s thoughtfully illuminated with two curvaceous bulkheads and a skylight in the middle. “It’s quite a compressed area (a 2.4-metre ceiling height) that makes the raked ceiling over the living areas appear more substantial,” says Smith.

To moderate the sunlight through the large steel and double-glazed sliding doors, Smith included a series of over-scaled, hand-operated aluminium and steel louvres which can be set according to the season.

There were discussions at the outset about including walls between the kitchen and the living areas, but after modelling the various options, Smith and his team could show that it wouldn’t provide the outcomes the couple were looking for – instead reducing the sense of space and the northern light from permeating deep into the new footprint. Chunky glulam beams support the raked ceiling and fine steel legs carry the terrazzo and steel kitchen benches.

And to moderate the sunlight through the large steel and double-glazed sliding doors, Smith included a series of over-scaled, hand-operated aluminium and steel louvres which can be manipulated according to the season.

While there’s a level of simplicity in Smith’s design, there also some complexity, including cladding the new fibrocement exterior with brick to moderate the temperature and knowing what to remove from the past and, as importantly, what to retain. While most would ditch the sheds and the Hills Hoist, for this writer at least, they add much charm to the home’s new wing.

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