heritage electric / by megan norgate

Our clients came to us with renovation concept plans for an extension by Logan Sheild of Geometrica, containing a new living room, new outdoor living space and refurbished kitchen, bathroom and laundry. At the time we were too booked up to take on the project, but they were wonderfully persistent and waited for us to come on board! They were happy with the overall layout however were looking for some detailed designs and specifications for the interior components. The brief to create a contemporary space full of high-quality functional details, using sustainable design strategies and converting the home to all electric energy.

“We were struggling to resolve some key layout decisions when we originally approached the BNE team, including the orientation and layout of the kitchen and laundry to ensure practical and well-connected spaces with sufficient storage. BNE were able to suggest a number of design updates that addressed these concerns and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Megan and her team have done an impressive job understanding our requirements and translating these into beautiful and practical outcomes. They also helped us to form a realistic understanding of how best to approach the design process and not rush into making decisions too early.”- (client)

The overall size of the existing home was about right, but the layout was problematic. The rear of the house backs faces north and backs onto a lovely parkland borrowing the landscape of the parkland trees. The original house was hemmed in by a bathroom and laundry at the back, so key to the spatial planning was to open the living areas to that northern aspect, bring in more natural light and facilitate cross-flow ventilation. Creating workable spaces with privacy and acoustic separation as the young family grows was also a priority. We configured the new rear rooms as interconnected spaces, separate but linked, to provide delineation while maintaining a sense of openness throughout with a strong connection to the outdoors. A central ethanol fireplace and FSC certified American oak joinery unit separated the living form the dining spacially but allows views through dining to the rear garden.

Sustainability and utilising renewable energy were very important to the family. We tread a fine line between retaining what we could change or build without unnecessary waste and creating a home that will serve the current owners well into the future. We used recycled solid hardwood Wormy Chestnut flooring to go throughout the hall extension which is a beautiful warm feature.

The gas kitchen was converted to all-electric using heat-pump hot water and induction cooking all running on renewable energy. Heat pump hydronic heating, and high-performance Miglas double-glazed composite windows specified by Logan really elevated the energy efficiency of the project. The warm hardwood timber on the inside makes these windows thermally efficient (and beautiful) while the aluminium exterior frames are durable and maintenance-free. There are composting systems in the kitchen, air drying stations in the laundry, insulation in the ceiling, walls and floors, double glazing in the windows, ceiling fans and led lighting.

We made use of a large range of tiles formats and surfaces, however, kept them within a palette of grey, blacks, white, pale, navy and teal blue and the pops of orange so the result is a very calming contemporary atmosphere. It is more subdued than our usual approach with colour but is really lovely in person as the textures and slight tonal variations create subtle shifts in tone.

“I find the living area a really rejuvenating space to be in now. A few people have commented that the colours and finishes have a calming effect. It's so lovely to sit in the living room during the day and feel so connected with the outdoor spaces. It's also amazingly calming sitting in the living room at night - the lighting, colours and spaces that we can see from the living room.” Client

The existing rooms were generous so we were able to put a dining space and laundry within one oversized dining room. The ceiling heights were voluminous and had been dropped in a previous low-quality 2000's kitchen renovation, we lifted them higher and brought the whole living area under one height creating an open, cohesive flow between the old and new.

The front hall was dark, so we worked with the builder Stan during the build to add an oversized glazed tilt panel door that looks right through the house into the garden. and made a feature of the period mouldings by painting them a soft grey.

The clients had completed a previous micro renovation of their bedroom, adding an ensuite (pictured below right) by our friend Imogen Pullar for Drawing Room Architecture. The was relatively new and we didn't want the full renovation to feel like it was piecemeal so we included the colours and material palette that Drawing Room Architecture had established as part of an overall palette and made these elements work with our design solutions.

We have added locally made and custom furnishings, window coverings, loft beds, and decorative items to complete the project, including two sets of amazing loft beds made locally by House of orange. Finally, the laundry had a separate WC at one end and super high ceilings, due to being in the original footprint. So we stacked the function of the WC enclosing the ceiling above it, adding a removable attic ladder to create a storage loft above. (We have also popped two drying racks up there as well, of course!).

“Our favourite things about the design are practical, light-filled spaces that are well connected with outdoor spaces. We love the finishes and colour scheme and are so impressed with how everything has come together. Even relatively minor updates such as new paint colours in the old unrenovated parts of the house have been central to ensuring the whole house ties together beautifully”. client

HERATIGE ELECTRIC
LOCATION: Ascot Vale Naarm
SCOPE: Sustainable extension containing a new living room and extensive reconfiguration/ refurbishment of existing home
CONCEPT + INTERIOR DESIGN TEAM: Megan Norgate and Kelsey Dabinett
BUILDER: Elder group
BUILDING DESIGNER/ARCHITECT: Logan Sheild of Geometrica
LANDSCAPER: Joel Feldman of Vale Living
PHOTOGRAPHER: Marnie Hawson
STYLIST: Brave New Eco
ARTIST: Nathan Feldman (left), Gareth Sansom (right)
SIDE TABLES: Zachary Frankel
COMPLETION DATE: 2022