Richmond Terrace House
Robert Nichols & Sons realized their client’s vision for a light and open floor plan in the rebuild of their 1980s mock Italianate terrace home in Richmond, Australia.
This project involved the demolition and rebuilding of an unusual and challenging 1980’s mock Italianate terrace.
The rebuild retained only the front and rear walls – and a substantial waffle slab cement ceiling – the previous interior, which was confusing and over-constructed, was completely removed.
The brief was open, except for the client requesting a feeling of lightness throughout and a completely white house. For us at Robert Nichol & Sons, that meant harnessing as much natural light as possible, to then open up the discussion for the use of some colour.
Careful planning brought much needed daylight to previously neglected parts of the site – the insertion of a large central lightwell was key to this. The sacrifice of precious floor area was a carefully debated consideration but one that has paid off, and as a result light streams into areas that were previously dark.
In order to create an initial impression that draws one into the depth of the site, we designed a timber textured wall that conceals a powder room and the stairs, and then curves its way deep into the interior. The use of a deep colour on this wall is vivid and intentional; the wall becomes an object in its own right, and stands as a connecting feature from front to rear.
Internal finishes include bluestone, dark oak flooring, polished and sandblasted concrete, and exposed steel beams.
Design: Robert Nichols & Sons
Photography: courtesy of Robert Nichols & Sons
