Centennial Park Estate

Sam and Kathryn came to us needing a design solution for their property at Centennial Park. The existing house, originally built in the early 1900s, had undergone unsympathetic renovations overtime and the clients sought a fitting redefinition of the tired property to suit their lifestyle with their two teenage sons. The clients asked PWA to alleviate the darkness that existed in the centre of the house and in doing so, sought a design that opened up the front living and dining spaces to the rear areas of the property.

Without making further unforgiving changes to the property, PWA sought to refine aspects of what was working in the house, taking back to its historic baseline and expanding any new space sympathetically to the original house. In doing so, the addition of a new floor level has carefully inserted space into the house, converting a one storey Edwardian house into a three-­storey family home, discreetly doubling the number of rooms in the existing house.

The pragmatic spaces within the house are reorganised in the existing envelope to maximise connections between indoor and outdoor living. Moving away from the trend of open plan living, the house reverts to separate kitchen, living and dining areas, connected by a series of frames created by door openings. These internal spaces lead to a light-filled family room, or sun room, which channels the feel of an internal courtyard, offering a seamless transition to the newly revived landscaped garden and pool.

In the rear of the property, the duplication of the interwar garage has formed a new portal to Oxley Lane. The new double garage has been increased to accommodate storage areas and practical services, whilst offering a second-storey cabana that allows the clients to maximise their enjoyment of the quintessential outdoor Australian lifestyle.