By Studio Urbo
We met the client when they had already done an internal renovation of the house. However, they had decided not to touch the front facade at that time. The building exterior was unstylish, lacking any character and featuring ordinary aluminium windows.
The family travelled a lot and fell in love with the French Provincial style. They wanted to add a touch of that style to their house.
For us, it was a challenging project. Anna spent some time in St. Petersburg is a heritage architect and was familiar with the client's favourite style. But she did not want to create something that would look fake or wouldn't suit the street's character. After a few discussions and numerous sketches, the client agreed to change windows proportions and flat out existing garage arches. Anna also proposed demolishing the wall between the front garden and the covered walkway to open the original porch to the front yard and make the house entry lighter and more welcoming. The result was successful. The house became elegant and fitted the street well.
Photographer: Paul Worsley, Live by the Sea
Studio Urbo is a Sydney-based design firm. Our name comes from the Esperanto word meaning "city or town". A collaboration of ideas and interests creates the space where people live and work together.
We love our work because it involves a lot of components, including working with and for people. We care about our clients and the environment.
Most of our projects are residential projects. We design new buildings, and we do renovations.
We have extensive experience with houses located in heritage conservation areas. We love the challenge that comes with adopting the modern style of living with the heritage environment.