When we undertake a project for a client, we do so because we believe in the vision and we know how to bring that vision to life. There are so many milestones along the project timeline that are rewarding. The initial consultation, the site visits, the specification process, the delivery of materials, the installation – and most importantly, the reveal. There is nothing as gratifying as seeing our client’s face when the project is complete. The significant moments don’t stop there. We love staying in touch with our client to understand how they are living in their new space and whether it is working just as they hoped it would – and quite often we will do a professional photo shoot that we submit to a major interior magazine. When we see the finished project on the pages of a magazine we love and respect, the whole story comes together and we are able to publicly acknowledge the contributions from all involved.
Last month one of our favourite magazines, Inside Out, published the story of Sandringham…
KWD was entrusted by Maria and Troy McGlone to help them with the interior fit out of their much loved 100-year-old Californian bungalow in the Melbourne suburb of Sandringham. They had recently undertaken a renovation to transform the house into a spacious and family-friendly four-bedroom home.
From the character-filled front door, to the lead light windows, to the feature details throughout the home, the single-storey home offered some beautiful original design elements that were important to maintain.
However the limited floorplan with quite small rooms necessitated the opening up of the space planning and the addition of a second storey.
The new upper level was designed as a designated area for Maria and Troy’s three children Will, 13, Max, 10, and Lucy, 8, to enjoy, with a bedroom each as well as a separate living/sleepover room to spend time with friends.
The lower level re-design was all about opening up the existing floor plan. A large open-plan living, dining and kitchen space is the focal point of the home and leads to an exterior deck and pergola.
Explains Maria, “The renovation came about because we wanted more space. As charming as they are, older homes don’t always make the best use of space so it was about opening the home up and creating a beautiful, relaxed flow. We also thought carefully about how we wanted to live in the house – with three pretty active children it had to be family friendly. The pool and the basketball court were features we factored in from the start, and have been particularly well-used”.
In terms of the interior, it was so important to create a seamless connection between the old and new sections of the home. Explains Kate Walker. “Our key request from Maria and Troy was that they wanted lots of green – their favourite colour. We loved the brief and had so much fun incorporating green accents through bathroom and kitchen tiling. Black highlights also make a statement, and tie in with the home’s original double lead-light doors which feature at the front and middle sections of the home.”
As the owners of landscape design company Zenith Concepts, it’s no surprise that the interaction between indoors and out was a carefully considered feature which allowed Maria and Troy’s professional experience to come to the fore. Lush landscaped spaces can be enjoyed from every room in the house.
“Having a beautiful garden was, of course, a must-have for us. It can add so much to the whole living experience and we love what has been created. The garden and outdoor areas are our absolute favourites. The outdoor spaces were a big part of the design considerations, and I love that these areas can be enjoyed from inside the house as well,” says Maria.
While the extension took on more of a mid-century modern feel with industrial elements, maintaining the traditional look and feel of the home’s original building was a key consideration of the renovation. The home’s original façade and two front rooms were retained and other period features were upcycled wherever possible, including all doors and lead light windows.
Maria and Troy wanted to re-use the red bricks from their old driveway and backyard, so architect Lyndal Williams created a 3.6m high feature brick wall in the lounge area. It runs through the windows and along the boundary wall in the outdoor pergola area.
The 10- month construction process saw the property transformed into a spacious and light-filled home that is ideally suited to the family’s needs. It hints at the old, while incorporating the best of modern design.
Says Kate, “For this cost sensitive renovation of a Californian bungalow, we were brought in to bring a designer edge to the space. We worked closely with My Architect on the space planning to make the most of every area. Under the stairs we created a study nook, and upstairs where we configured the bathrooms to create an en-suite for their daughter and a shared bathroom for their sons. Our favourite element of the design is the materiality, from the recycled brick to the warm timber ceiling to the industrial concrete floor. And the kitchen – the green tiles bring the outdoors in so beautifully.”
You can order the following materials from KWD & Co.:
KITCHEN: Wall tiles in Murano olive
TIMBER FLOORING & CEILING: Engineered European oak in Classic Bridgeport
LAUNDRY: Wall tiles -Light Grey matt subway tile / Floor tiles – Cera Rainstone
Interior Design: KWD
Builder : Apollo Homes
Architect : My Architect
Landscape Design : Zenith Concepts
Stylist and writer: Julia Green / Style assist: Aisha Chaudhry and Jessica Retallack
Photographer: Armelle Habib