While they already had four bedrooms and a study, the living space in Peter and Rebecca’s large contemporary Templestowe home was inadequate. They wanted a much larger, free-flowing space that was more in keeping with the scale of the site, and which better connected the informal living area to the pool and the garden. They called in Duncan Thompson to expand and transform the home.
While it was clear enough where the new family room would be located, the details of how this new space was to be connected to the existing rooms was less obvious, and required careful consideration in order to both maximise the views and maintain connection with the existing spaces. The pool and views were to the south of the new room, but a northerly aspect was required for the new room to have the light that Peter and Rebecca wanted. Duncan Thompson’s designer solved the issue by raking the ceiling and running the new roof-line over the top of the existing ridge, allowing a line of clerestory windows to brighten the room.
Multi-fold café-style doors allowed the room to open completely to a new veranda adjacent to the pool, which in turn led to a new outdoor poolside dining area.
Peter & Rebecca now have the generous, light-filled informal living space they desired. With its matching roof form and materials, the extension blends perfectly with the existing house, to the extent that newcomers to the house have no idea the house has been extended at all.
