Grace Park House 2.0 is the second stage in the sensitive transformation of a Queen Anne style house in Hawthorn, taking a contemporary but interpretative approach to engaging with the original building fabric. The project involved the replacement of the rear of the house with a new double storey extension comprising kitchen, living areas and service spaces downstairs, and, two new bedrooms upstairs.

The design of the building form carefully considered solar control whilst complying with a covenant that mandated external masonry and roof tiles. Blackbutt timber flooring and joinery is paired with soft greys to provide a calm and warm interior that is not sterile. The grid of ceiling beams across the new living and dining areas is an interpretive nod to the segmentation of the ceilings at the front of the house whilst also breaking up the large space into more intimate zones.

The works also included a significant investment in energy efficiency and electrification: upgrading from gas to electric heat pumps for hot water, pool heating and hydronic heating coupled with an 11kW solar PV system.

year: 2023
builder: Dome Building Projects
interiors: Sanders and King
photos: Tatjana Plitt