New House in Melbourne, Hawthorn Building, Australian Cottage Residence, Architect, Design
Park Cottage in Hawthorn, Melbourne
New Property in Hawthorn, Australia – design by Bryant Alsop
5 Sep 2017
Park Cottage, Hawthorn
Location: Hawthorn, suburb of Melbourne, State of Victoria, Australia
Architects: Bryant Alsop
Contemporary Hawthorn Residence

The 3 Primary Ideas driving this design were;

1. creation of light, depth and space as exaggerated by the inclusion of very dark, internal elements;

2. adaptable and flexible floorplan to suit a range of potential end users;

3. efficient re-use of existing structure and services to minimise waste and cost.

This little, Heritage-listed cottage is not what it seems… the interior is unexpectedly spacious and light, defying its Victorian origins and 1970s additions that lie cocooned.
As designers we were interested in exploring the use of a very dark interior element; a boundary wall, over 16m in length, which snakes its way across cabinetry, around an internal bathroom, and into the main bedroom.

Our feeling was that through the strong, tonal palette would create a sense of depth and journey into an otherwise relatively small house. An existing 2.4m high ceiling structure was to be retained, also creating a chance to explore how spaces could be compressed against the near-black boundary wall.

The wall and cabinetry becomes an “anchor” to the surrounding spaces, and a base onto which contrasting ma...