YARRA

Location: Geelong, VIC
Construction: On going
Builder: Gildon Construction

Yarra is a renovation project to a 1930s Californian Bungalow, one of the more popular styles of home design in Australia, after World War I. The existing house is a weatherboard house located in the heart of Geelong CBD. The design retains two existing bedrooms and bathroom. The front bedroom was converted into a master suite. The extension accommodates kitchen/meals, powder room, garage and a pottery workshop.

The project re-imagines the typical house with backyard typology and is designed around landscaped courtyard garden with a pool.

The design concept retains the intimacy and scale of the heritage home while overlaying an expansive rear addition or contemporary living. The home’s characterful front facade is faithfully restored, retaining a strong streetscape presence in the home’s coveted inner-Western suburb of Geelong. Internal layout has preserved the historic bones of the home. Crisp white walls draw focus to era-defining hallmarks, including mellow timber flooring and, ornate 3.3m high ceiling. The timeless monochrome palette and lean edit of furniture honor the heritage pedigree of the home, while new architectural interventions establish a respectful dialogue between old and new, carving new opportunities for connection.