Randwick House

Left: The rear of the house Right: The front

THE BRIEF

Bring light into a dark semi and add a second level to cater to a growing family

THE BUILDER

David Edelstein
Domus Homes

LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

An abundance of downlights and windows has brought light back to a once gloomy and tired abode

When you have been living in a dark house for a few years, the idea of a warm, sunny living space is nothing short of luxurious. So when the owners of this Randwick semi decided to renovate, they had one design brief – make it white and bright.

“It was a rabbit warren of a house, about 60- 70 years old. They wanted to make it a contemporary design with lots of light,’’ builder David Edelstein says.

The original single –level house had three bedrooms and a series of badly designed rooms to the rear. All that remains is the front room, which is now a study, the front façade and one external wall running the length of the house.

Open spaces and lourve windows make rooms bright and airy

“A second level was added, which is where the three bedrooms, main bathroom and ensuite are,” David says.

“Downstairs is an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, a guest bathroom and a study.”

Work on the foundations was needed.

“We had to reinforce the underfloor support, because the quality of the joists and bearers was poor and rotting had started to occur,” David says.

The rest of the building process, which took six months to complete, went smoothly.

One design feature the owners requested was an open, sweeping, timber staircase. A skylight is positioned at the top of the landing to direct light down to the ground floor.

The main bedroom suite opens on to balcony overlooking the backyard. The bedroom is modest in size and the owners’ only request was an ensuite with a double vanity.

“All the bathrooms share the same design. The only difference is the double vanity in the ensuite,” David says.

“We’ve tiled all the way to the ceiling, something that a lot of clients are requesting right now. In each shower there is a cut- out or recess where you can store toiletries.”

In keeping with the design brief of white and bright, the flowing downstairs living area features long rows of downlights with task lighting for artwork.

“The owners have a nice collection of artwork. They wanted to make a feature out of it,” David says.

Left: The clean lines of  the  bathroom  Right: The modern U-shaped kitchen

“That’s another reason for keeping everything white; colour is introduced through the art on the walls.”

“We had to reinforce the underfloor support because the quality of the joists and bearers was poor and rotting”

Streamlined white polyurethane cupboards feature in the U- shaped kitchen with CaesarStone for the benches. An industrial- size oven is a feature.

“They wanted a huge oven so that when they entertain they can fit in all the food at once,” David says.

There is an abundance of windows running the length of the house, including a section of floor-to-ceiling louvers.

“The louvers were the owners’ request.They break up the length of the wall and create cross flow ventilation,” David says.

The garage was opened up and refinished, allowing space for two cars now. The brief for the exterior brick façade was to modernise.

“It was originally face brick. We basically rendered it and added a box on top,” David says.

“They hired a colour consultant to help with the colour selection”.

The once dark and badly designed house is now an open, clean, light- filled residence that is easy to maintain.

“The owners love it and their friends love it too,” David says.
Jenny Ringland

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