A reflective re-invention

Archier has created a sense of depth at this single-storey house in Hobart by weaving courtyards through the floor plan and using materials that reflect light, colour and movement. “Expanding the sense of volume in the house using both landscape and reflection was the driver of design, so the house discreetly mirrors what is in and around it,” says Chris Haddad, co-director of Archier.

Located in Battery Point, Hobart, the two-bedroom cottage was originally the local milk depot, and it was subject to stringent heritage overlays. The clients engaged Archier to design a single-storey house where they could age in place. They wanted space to entertain, display their art collection and accommodate their children and grandchildren when they came to stay.

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As with the rest of the house, materials in the utility spaces were chosen to reflect the colours and textures of the local environment.

Image: Adam Gibson

The architects designed a rear addition that merges house and garden, with the floor plan spreading out across the site and wrapping around landscaped courtyards that bring light, ventilation and views into the home. A glazed walkway connects the refurbished cottage and new extension, passing between two courtyards and showcasing the cottage’s original facade.

The warm and traditional palette in the front cottage is sympathetic to the building’s heritage, while the raw and elemental materials of the addition are a bold contrast. Dark, robust and masculine, the kitchen, dining and living area has a meditative atmosphere and is a gallery-like space for the clients’ display of art. The polished concrete floor, dark-stained Tasmanian oak ceiling and grey-rendered walls offer a monochromatic backdrop that allows the striking granite island bench to come to the fore. The granite clads all sides of the bench, with its dramatic and graphic veining accentuated against the mild-steel cabinetry, stainless benchtop and silver-blue splashback tiles.

“Even though it’s a dark palette, the materials have a beautiful reflective quality, so you catch glimpses of colour and movement, which amplifies the natural light coming into the home through the extensive courtyard glazing,” says Chris. This reflective quality is amplified in the courtyard, which Chris describes as having a “mirror-box effect.” Here, the continuous glazing reflects the house and garden, as well as the chimneys and rooftops of neighbouring houses, helping to embed the addition in its historic site.

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The ensuite’s bathtub is positioned to capture a view of kunanyi, reflected in the mirror.

Image: Adam Gibson

The granite is also a feature in the ensuite, cladding the vanity, which stands out dramatically against the glossy black wall tiles. These glisten with light from the courtyard, while the bathtub is positioned to take in a view of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, reflected in the mirror.