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The new works were to play with the existing Baltic pine timber floors.
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Living in a 4-storey terraces means continually climbing up; and walking down. If the eye is busy looking about the space, then the mind tends to forget the effort to climb the stairs. The stair detailing and internal vistas keep the eye always entertained as though moving within an Escher artwork.
The existing terrace had little natural light, constricted circulation, and room layouts which related to an earlier era. The new location of the stair and its detailing opened up the centre of the terrace to natural light, allowed space for good sized rooms on the northern side, and provided opportunities for art display – another way to entertain the eye.
The breezeway was internalised to give better light and space to the ground floor kitchen and family areas.
A garden with a feature wall to a storage space beyond was added to the existing courtyard.
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'Relativity' by M.C.Escher
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On entry, the portal offers a vista through to the piano room. The copper sleeve,smooth to touch, protects the painted timber from dirty hands at changes in direction.
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A guest WC, laundry and deep freezer are concealed beyond this joinery wall. A highlight window prevents the room from being too internal.
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The existing breeze-way was enclosed with a skylight.
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Small kitchens must make use of all available storage. The storage wall beyond stores all glasses and cups but is only 1 glass deep. The sink shroud stores the toaster and kettle.
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There are always places for the eye to look as one climbs the 4 flights to the attic. The negative spaces (the voids) allow the light to penetrate all parts of the middle of the house.
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Items on the display shelf entertain the eye on the stair journey. Storage space is located behind the adjacent panels.
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The stepped timber-lining to the underside of the stair introduces the 'escher-esque' quality of entertaining the eye.
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The detailing of the screen and handrails make for an always changing composition as one moves through the house.
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The teenager's bathroom took the place of the cramped existing victorian staircase. The existing feature glass highlights informed the splashback shelf colour.
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The attic is a study, a place to compose music and a spare bedroom if needed. The joinery unifies the space and opens up like a toy box - reference book shelves to the right, the entry door in the middle, filing drawers with hanging space above to the left, and a roll-out bed behind the panel on the far left.
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The vent in the attic ceiling also shields the light source.
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The existing family room area was narrow and the breeze-way was damp and cold. The existing stairwell was poky and steep. The new works enclosed the breeze-way with a skylight and opened up the centre of the house with the stair.
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Date: 2007
Location: Paddington, NSW
Design Architects: Michael MacCormick & Joanna Barlow (Studio JAM)
Design contribution: Peter Ireland, Shahe Simonian
Project Architect: Michael MacCormick, Laura Chan
Structural Consultant: Richard Rollo
Builder: R & L Schimek
Interiors: Michael MacCormick & Joanna Barlow (Studio JAM)
Photography: Tyrone Branigan