Chestnut Street by Tim Spicer Architects and Felicity Dessewffy

The Chestnut Street house is located in Cremorne, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Plantation timber is used extensively throughout the house. The central combustion fireplace not only provides a sustainable heat source for the living/kitchen/dining area but also to the master bedroom through which the exposed flue is run. Sustainable features
The existing house was cold and dark, receiving little natural light and containing almost no insulation. The formal dining area and kitchen are located in the centre of the new volume, separating the living space from the two original front bedrooms. A staircase wrapping around the fireplace leads to the master bedroom, ensuite, walk in robe and study on the first floor. The rake of the living room ceiling opens the space up to the garden and full height double glazed windows connected the room to the deck, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into building. Tim Spicer Architects together with Felicity Dessewffy, have transformed an existing heritage listed home into a two storey contemporary home for a young family. Leaving only the front two bedrooms intact the design capitalized on the wide block by pushing the building mass to the south boundary and orienting the new entertaining areas around the north-west facing garden. A few steps separate the dining and kitchen area from the elevated living space, while a single joinery element maintains continuity between the two levels. Above the kitchen and laundry structural provision has been made for a future roof deck, which is accessed via the master bedroom. The house is fitted with a 5KW solar system. The copper and timber tones were chosen for their warmth and are offset against green hues of grass and the future planting. The bedroom and study, which look down over the garden and catch glimpses of the city, provide a quite retreat for the couple from their busy lives.