20 Laycock Rd

Set in the heritage enclave of Penshurst, Sydney, architect and designer Telly Theodore was engaged to design an ambitious extension to the modest 1920s brick house. To access the house, you pass alongside the original heritage brick building and enter a voluminous foyer with a skylight in the upward curve of the ceiling. Looking up the stairs to the right is the original part of the house which features ornate ceilings and wall panelling throughout. Solid American Oak flooring runs throughout the upper part of the house. Brick is clearly the defining element of the new part of the house. Downstairs features Danish Petersen Tegl handcrafted slim, deep toned bricks which run at 4.6m from the stone floor to the warm toned recycled Oregon timber rafters complemented by Swedish frame doors. The staircase features wide custom Andorra treads alongside the beeswaxed metal bannister. Inspiration is drawn from Old Europe with the bathrooms featuring custom made marble troughs with the mixture of aged brass frames and tapware. A dramatic 8.5m drop from street to gully required meticulous planning and technique. More than 100 concrete piles and huge retaining walls were required to make the design come to life. While old and new are different in character, the two distinct zones are unified by overriding aesthetics. Calida brought this vision to life throughout a two year construction period. Photography by Tom Ferguson