Hutchinson Street

"We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness... ...were it not for the shadows, there would be no beauty." - Jun'Ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows Our Hutchinson Street project preserves an original Victorian home, extended upon with a prefab addition. Inverting the australian trend for light, bright homes, this project embraces a japanese wabi design philosophy explored through the lens of jun’ichiro tanizki’s book ‘in praise of shadows’ where large eaves and internal courtyards provide the home with a soft, more diffuse light that gently track the sun’s movements throughout the day. The original double-fronted Victorian rooms were preserved and thoroughly insulated, with windows and doors updated to create a traditional facade. The installation of recycled floorboards flows through to the extension, allowing for a graceful interior transition from the old to the new. The extension is a black cedar box, with a warm timber window and slatted cypress verandah, framed by a lush tropical garden. The original house is painted with a complimentary dark exterior, allowing the architectural forms to recede as a backdrop for the garden. A calm balancing of recycled timbers with Japanese tiles and granite benchtops, this home is an expression of humble luxury. ELEMENTS WOOD/ METAL/ STONE/ WATER COLOUR BROWN/ BLUE/ BLACK TYPE HOMES LOCATION BRUNSWICK EAST, VICTORIA YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 2016 DESIGN TEAM: KIM KNEIPP BUILDER: ARKIT PREFAB ARCHITECTURE JOINERY: WOODCRAFT MOBILIAR PHOTOGRAPHER: LISA COHEN