Try, Try, Try Again

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday July 30, 2005

Jenna Reed Burns

What to do when someone else's additions are not to your liking.

The house Darlinghurst

Completed April 2003 Cost $220,000

Architect Joel Farnan, Farnan Findlay Architects, 9310 2516

Builder Dan McDonough, Danstruct, 0418 668 840

Structural engineer Costin Roe Consulting, 9251 7699

Mechanical and hydraulic engineer Medland Mitropoulos, 9552 2022

The aim To provide a spacious and glamorous ensuite for the attic bedroom, and unify the previously renovated interior.

This three-storey terrace in Darlinghurst had already undergone major renovation when it was purchased by the current owners.

"The whole house had been done top to bottom," says architect Joel Farnan.

"They'd taken all the rough edges off and made it into a clean plasterboard box. But it didn't have much else - it was pretty bland."

The most dramatic feature of the property was the courtyard garden, which incorporated a long rectangular fish pond.

At the back of the block, a garage off the rear lane incorporated a laundry space, with a rooftop deck above it.

The dividing walls of the terrace had been removed on the ground floor to create an open-plan living and dining area, with a kitchen opening to a west-facing deck. On the second floor, there were two bedrooms flanking a large bathroom. Glass bricks in one wall of the bathroom allowed light from the bedroom behind to filter through.

Another twisting flight of stairs led to an attic bedroom, with a dormer window facing the street and glass doors leading onto a large deck with city skyline views at the rear.

FINESSING THE SPACE

The new owners wanted to add an ensuite to the attic bedroom, but they also asked Farnan and his wife and business partner, Michelle Findlay, to unify the house with a new colour scheme and some refined features. They're obviously happy with the outcome because Farnan and Findlay have designed their new house in the country, and very soon they will be moving to the bush.

The apricot interior was repainted in Dulux's Natural White. In the courtyard, a chic muddy tone (Dulux's Linseed) replaced the warm yellow colour on the rendered walls.

Pergolas fitted with timber battens were built over the ground floor deck and the top-floor deck, and hung with retractable blinds to keep out the afternoon sun in summer. A cellar was excavated under the rear deck.

Farnan replaced the timber-framed doors leading to both decks with steel-framed bifold doors manufactured in Melbourne - the finer dimensions of the steel frames allowing more light into the rooms than the bulkier timber.

The wall of the stairwell was upholstered in a flecked grey and white fabric from the US which Farnan says softens the wall and makes its surface a little indeterminate. As it stretches up through the house it also serves as a visual link between the three levels.

"Because they have three boys, the clients were concerned about the fabric's durability - but it's indestructible," Farnan says.

The main bathroom on the first floor was demolished and rebuilt as two rooms - a bathroom with a shower over the bathtub, and an adjacent, separate toilet.

The external walls and doors leading from the landing to the two rooms are clad in white-backed glass. The result is a wall that shimmers with reflected light.

ATTIC RETREAT

While constrained by the footprint of the house, the architects were able to increase the size of the attic by extending the rear dormer across the full width of the house. This enabled them to continue the run of the second set of stairs in a straight line, saving precious floorspace.

The depth of the deck was reduced and steel-framed doors were installed in the opening.

Two built-in wardrobes flank the bed. Opposite the wardrobes is a built-in credenza that provides extra space for clothes storage and display, and acts as a solid balustrade to the stairs.

Glass doors lead to a spacious ensuite that faces the street. A sculpted bathtub sits directly in front of the window. On one side is a large walk-in shower and, on the other, a toilet and basin. White-backed glass adds polish to the bathroom's walls.

"We saw the attic as a romantic parents' retreat," says Farnan. "The real feature is the bath in the centre of the window, like a piece of furniture."

© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald

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