The Great Entertainer
This original Spanish Mission Art Deco home served the homeowners well when the family was young but as the three children grew up, the need to extend the living space in the home became increasingly clear.
Before
Ground Floor - three bedrooms, kitchen, living, lounge, bathroom, WC and laundry.
After
Ground Floor - two bedrooms (one with WIR and ensuite), study, kitchen with walk-in pantry, dining, living area, bathroom, laundry, colonnade and shed with WC.
First Floor - two bedrooms (both with balconies), rumpus room and bathroom.
There was also the need to add some entertainment specific features to the home. “We both have extended families living locally and we have many family gatherings. We love entertaining family and friends,” says Jenny, the homeowner. The back rooms of the original dwelling were remodelled to accommodate the stairway to the first floor. The laundry and bathroom were repositioned to permit outside access to the laundry via a back door.
The existing kitchen and laundry were fashioned into an ensuite and walk-in robe for the master bedroom in the original front part of the home. And a butler’s pantry and home office were built into the remaining space facing out to the new kitchen. Jenny’s favourite part of the extended space is the butler’s pantry... “I just love the look of the room. I do all my baking in there. It’s a great space to prepare and store food for entertaining.”
The ground floor extension at the rear of the home accommodates the combined kitchen, dining and living areas to great effect. The open plan affords natural floor to ceiling sunlight running the length of the room. While the timber floorboards add a warm glow to the extended space.
An idea that stemmed from a magazine photograph led to the splendid window seat in the kitchen that overlooks the backyard and pool, and catches the afternoon sun. The window seat provides a relaxing haven for a quiet drink at the end of a busy day, and a place for the children to drop in and talk about their day, whilst the evening meal is being prepared.
Upstairs, there is a new bathroom and rumpus room with adjoining bedrooms. The two extra bedrooms each have built-in robes and private balconies. The original garage was converted into a storage area with toilet and bathroom facilities for the pool and outdoor entertaining area. Homeowner Simon says his favourite part of their home is the new Loggia Colonnade. It provides summer protection yet allows the winter warmth to reach the rear of the home to warm the back rooms.
“We really enjoy summer entertaining. The new outside entertaining area really feels a part of the house”.
The arches on the Loggia Colonnade and the Spanish style balconies on the bedrooms upstairs have preserved the main theme of the original home in the final design. Why HIlle’s Home Extensions? Simon says that he had personal commendations from previous HHE clients and felt “Their standard of service was very well regarded in the local area.”