Australian expats Carla and Paul Tucker tasked designer Dan Gayfer with expanding their Melbourne bungalow without adding any square footage. In the kitchen, a soft palette of wood, laminate, and tile created cohesion, impressive considering the clients didn’t see a single finish, color, or material in person prior to their homecoming. The kitchen cabinets were clad in Russian birch plywood, and the countertops were concrete.

The architects pulled away the roof at the house’s center to create a courtyard where the residents can enjoy meals. The ground sits below floor level, which means that the wraparound eucalyptus deck can also serve as a bench.

The exterior of the Housemuseum has something of a Darth Vader look to it, without directly mimicking the brutalism that exemplified much of Melbourne’s modernist architecture of the 1960s. The street names that form the corner on which it sits—Cotham and Florence—are marked out in the chocolate-brown brickwork fence.

Inspired by the Sydney Opera House, architects Andrew Maynard and Mark Austin paid careful attention to the extension’s “fifth elevation"—the way it’s seen from the sky. Its tiny houses, clustered at the southern end of the property, are clad in white steel panels and western red cedar shingles, contrasting materials that emphasize their geometric forms.

The streamlined kitchen features Miele cooktop, Sirius hood, Siemens oven, and Fisher & Paykel refrigerator.

An internal courtyard punctuates the main floor of this renovated home near Melbourne, Australia, and adds a practical source of light and air. The local climate patterns were taken into account during the home’s design and layout. Because temperatures can vary quite dramatically, solar control was very important. The large glazed sliders to the east, where the home gets morning sun, strategically contrast with the less extensive glazing to the north.

This Victorian-era home in Melbourne, renovated by OOF! Architecture, maintains privacy from the street, but does so in an unusually "friendly" manner—with a giant brick wall that spells out "Hello," a collaboration with local artist Rose Nolan. The residents wanted their house to appeal to passersby, since it sits on a well-trafficked block near a café.

The house is a simple cement and steel box with elements that fold outwards to create privacy screens where needed. A perforated aluminum fence unravels from the building down toward the street. The material was selected to deter local graffiti artists from leaving their mark. Instead, a recycled brick wall serves as an appropriate canvas for street art.

The entire living and dining space features tough polished concrete floors. The architects intentionally contrasted the darker concrete and veneered pantry against the neutral white walls and marble. This color play runs through the renovated areas.

The backyard features a vertical garden, called the “picking wall” by the designers of Weller Landscapes, for its selection of kitchen herbs. In regards to the courtyard's wood and concrete finishes, the architects explain how “[The] materials all had an honest raw quality about them, allowing them to age gracefully and acquire their own patina over time.”

The dramatic rear elevation showcases the open-plan living and dining room. Apart from the addition, the rest of the home maintained its “traditional” layout, with bedrooms branching off from a central hallway. Windows on all sides of the addition bring light in and make the space feel bright and expansive. Tonal and textural contrast can be seen between the burnt ash cladding at the exterior and the engineered European oak flooring at the interior. Through thoughtful design and space planning, the architects and owners made the biggest impact possible with only 500 square feet of added living space.

A garage-style door separates the patio from the street.

The front of the house was originally a storefront, with large windows overlooking the street.

The bathroom was creatively composed using inexpensive Quarella Calacatta floor tiles, a Villery & Boch wall-mounted sink, and a Reece Sabine bath. Brass electroplated fixtures and FLOS Mini Glo Ball wall lights add a touch of sass to an otherwise understated space.

The kitchen features oyster gray Laminex countertops, an Astra Walker brass-plated sink, and a Miele oven.

The full-height cabinets offer plenty of nooks and crannies where household goods can be hidden away. “Carefully considered storage provides space for each family member’s essentials, yet limits consumption and places greater value on the objects that they have chosen to live with,” Cousins says.

Anchoring the Housemuseum’s music room is the mural YOU’VEALWAYSWANTEDTOBEBLACK (white friend), a 2006 piece by artist Brook Andrew. The red staircase leads to the bedrooms and additional gallery space on the second floor.

In the kitchen, Dedo stools by Simone Simonelli for Miniforms pull underneath a poured-in-place concrete countertop.

Low-maintenance, sustainable materials were favored throughout the house. Striking orange Pirelli studded rubber floors were chosen for the main bathroom. Clean white fixtures and black shower cladding complete the graphic space.

While the back part of the house originally housed the bathroom and laundry rooms, all but making the adjacent garden inaccessible, the new design places the living and dining spaces in this area to maximize natural light. Commonly available materials are used throughout the home, such as plywood and the industrial tresses that criss-cross the open-plan living area.

A polished concrete floor adds an industrial touch. The oven is Siemens, and the cooktop and dishwasher are Miele. The kitchen island is a concrete benchtop resting on a custom steel frame. The pendants are refurbished “Saturn” pendants by Fog & Morup. Curtains allow the residents to divide the space.

Melbourne Cricket Ground One of the world’s most famous cricket venues, the MCG in inner Melbourne is also Australia’s largest stadium and is referred to within Victoria as the “spiritual home of Australian sport.”Opened in 1854, the MCG hosted Australia’s first bicycle race, served as the centerpiece stadium for the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games and fills to the rafters for the Australian Football League Grand Final every year in September.The MCG is known for its atmosphere, and if you’re feeling especially loutish head to Bay 13, the notorious section of tiered seats that occupies part of the Great Southern Stand. This is where the uber-rowdy and enthusiastic regularly congregate. Photo by: Matthew 70

For the bathroom, the architects designed a clever tub that can serve as a shower, too. “Curved bath edges are not great to stand in so we wanted it to have a flat base,” Bright says. “We also didn't like that you would have to step over the edge of the bath to get in the shower. The solution to this was to sink it down.” The light is by Tub Design and fixtures by Duravit.

To stay within the budget, the designers decided to forgo natural stone in the bathrooms in lieu of simple vitrified tile. The bathroom isn't without its luxuries, however, as evidenced by the heated towel rail from Hydrotherm.

To increase the illusion of space, the architect raised the ceiling height and installed window treatments that let in plenty of light. “The singular use of [pine wood] also enhances the perception of space and provides dual cost-benefits,” Cousins says. “Plywood is affordable and readily available, and much of the joinery was designed to be constructed by a carpenter, further minimizing construction costs.”

Carefully chosen furniture and fixtures make every square foot count. In the dining room, a Muuto Unfold pendant hangs above an Artek Aaldto dining table. The track lighting is by Masson for Light Comet. The living room features a gray Nook Sofa by Jardan and a red Eames Molded Plywood Chair that contrast playfully with the Baltic pine floors.

As a nod to local history, the designers kept the home's original street-facing Victorian facade.

The facade uses sustainably harvested and local PEFC-certified Australian timber cladding. Not only does the material palette blend in with the surrounding landscape, but it also serves a practical purposes: it is resistant to brush fire and extreme weather.

“High-density living achieves numerous social, environmental and economic benefits,” architect Clare Cousins explains. “[Our clients’] decision to remain in a small space allowed their modest budget to be maximised by efficient spatial planning and a creative composition of commonly available materials.”

Inside, the scheme is more vivid and dynamic, with contrasting concrete and timber arranged in angular geometries that communicate activity. Recycled brick adds a gritty element to the otherwise smooth materials used in the kitchen. An oblique swath of Vic Ash timber is used for the ceiling, wrapping down into the cabinetry and mimicking the same folding movements that define the façade.

Journal Canteen, upstairs from Journal Cafe

The same perforated aluminum employed for the fence is used as a privacy screen in the bedroom. The holes in the screen allow for light to spill through.