Composition House

The brief

Rework a modest 1950s home with embedded memories of a rich family history. To tread lightly, while adding a new layer.

The result

The opportunity was embraced to preserve this beloved family home’s cherished character, while sensitively adapting its design to better support the clients’ active lifestyle and propensity to entertain. The home’s original details, specifically the stair balustrade, internal planters and sculptural wall lights, provided a point of reference for the design, driving a minimalist expression with mid-century inflections.

A crisply articulated kitchen sits at the heart of the home, crafting a family gathering space overlooking the home’s original playful, kidney shaped pool. A veil of white cabinetry, benches and integrated appliances is contrasted by a striking, steel-framed island bench lined in terracotta-toned laminate; a subtle nod to the home’s mid-century origins. Raised ceilings express the pitch of the home’s new butterfly roof, inviting sunlight to bounce through the modestly scaled interior. Select walls are lined with shiplap cladding, offering a subtle, grained backdrop to the client’s mid-century furniture and décor.

Thoughtfully designed to improve amenity, Composition House extends the life of a dearly loved family home. Cognisant of revitalising the house without clouding its original spirit, Studio Prineas skilfully preserved these intangible qualities, offering a sensitive, place-specific home: modest, enduring and well crafted.

The feeling

Fusing contemporary living with the spirit of the past; a vehicle for honouring old and new family memories.