Coronet

Melbourne, Australia – Jos Tan Architects

Built Area: 35.0 m2
Year Built: 2017
Photographs: Tom Ross

Coronet is a renovation and addition project to an existing home. The owner is an avid cook who wanted a multi-purpose space for cooking, entertaining, and dining. The said space, according to the brief, should open up to the backyard. In addition, the owner wanted a bathroom and a laundry area. Considering the small space, the first plan was to tear down walls and the back part of the home.

For the architects of the Coronet house, bigger isn't necessarily better. — For the architects of the Coronet house, bigger isn’t necessarily better.

However, demolition wasn’t feasible because of the limited budget.The architects’ solution was to build a slim extension at the side of the original structure. There is very limited space to fit in a new bathroom but things worked out well.

Given the small area to work with, the architects were able to get around the challenge while saving money. For the architects of the Coronet House, bigger isn’t necessarily better.

Mission accomplished: a space for entertaining, cooking, and dining for the avid cook.

Notes from the Architect:

This brick home is one of a pair, built side-by-side c.1930. The brief was for a new bathroom and laundry, and a new kitchen and dining area that could entertain a large gathering while opening up to the backyard.

The first option we considered was to demolish the rear of the building to make way for a new addition, but it soon became apparent that the available budget would fall short of this plan. Instead, a decision was made to retain much of the existing brick structure, and pop out a small extension to the side.

This saved money in new structure and roofing while still allowing the entire back section to be reconfigured. We also liked how the home’s physical connection to its twin next door was maintained. Bricks were salvaged from demolition, and re-used in the extension. In the bathroom, fittings and fixtures were located in former door openings to increase effective width while preserving a memory of house’s past.

One of our tenets is that bigger is not necessarily better. Witnessing the huge difference in function and amenity achieved through this compact renovation has been very rewarding, as was sharing our client’s joy in the reinvigorated space.

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