Through the creation of quiet junctures between architecture and landscape design, Autumn House nurtures the patterns of modern living while contributing to the built fabric of its streetscape. Reconciling Victorian architecture and a 1980s renovation by architect Mick Jörgensen, a new extension by Studio Bright has been realised which effortlessly fuses the home with its garden.
A mature elm tree in the backyard of this inner-urban terrace in Melbourne’s Carlton North has emerged as a cornerstone of the home’s design language. Studio Bright have stitched a new layer into and around the homes existing conditions in a way that borrows from, merges with and modernises them. By sympathetically balancing Victorian architecture, the Jörgenson addition and a new extension, Studio Bright has bestowed a relevance entirely befitting the young family who now lives there.
Today, the original terrace which architect Mick Jörgenson had extensively reconfigured, has been restored to optimise both form and function. The lack of northern light has defined a perfect sleep-inducing wing for children’s bedrooms while the much-loved raw timber-lined ceiling, red brick floor and outlook to the majestic elm have coaxed a living space filled with a warm, nostalgic sensibility.
Through considered juxtaposition, the new extension balances the night-time spaces and informal living zone in the heritage volume. It forms a series of curving and angled moves at ground level which hold the new north-facing living, kitchen and dining spaces. Wrapping the southernmost edge of the site and negotiating the elm and the existing building, this new volume harmoniously fosters togetherness and activity at the front of the site.
Amid an autumnal palette a home has been cultivated to ebb and flow with the seasons, reconciling them into a nuanced timelessness.
Clean interventions across architecture, interior and styling have cultivated an abiding calm with equality between built and natural environments. An autumnal lustre permeates each room through expanses of glazing, which frame a living backdrop dominated by the sky and foliage from the upper floors and the elm with its surrounding landscaping on the lower. A barely contained botanical plane by Eckersley Garden Architecture dovetails into the materiality of the home where terracotta tones, verdant greens, artisanal elements and timber find affinity with it.
From the laneway, Autumn House presents a continuous solid brick perimeter wall that is consistent with adjoining conditions, further supporting Studio Bright’s overarching practice intent to create enduring and responsive spaces. This level of consideration has also informed meticulous attention to detail which subsequently has driven an architectural form that gives no hint of new roof lines when viewed from the front, appearing instead as a solid garden wall over which the elm towers as a constant sentinel.
All thresholds to the courtyards and outdoor spaces are intentionally porous and defined by operable glazed windows and doors. Above and defining the home’s exterior expression, a wedge-like mesh structure supports climbing plants and a slim garden to form an oasis within the urban milieu. Enclosed by this garden framework are the main bedroom and ensuite which, activated further by a rooftop deck, filter natural light and mute the immediacy of neighbours to encapsulate a deep sense of shelter.
In coaxing a conversation between built and natural landscapes, Autumn House manifests a lifestyle that balances rigour and joy. Studio Bright have imparted an architectural language that weaves the numerous iterations of the home while establishing one that will continue to evolve as the building mellows and the garden continues to spill into and over it in an entirely enchanting way.
Autumn House sympathetically balances a Victorian-era terrace house, a 1980’s renovation by architect Mick Jörgenson, and a new contribution by Studio Bright.
