As with every residence designed by Sam Crawford Architects, the end result is always an exemplar, and Kensington House is no exception. Making the most of space and light, an old home has become new again and is more than ready for the future.
Located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, the 1970s red brick house is beautifully positioned beside scrubby bushland and overlooks a golf course. The brief was straight forward, to design a robust, family-friendly home for parents with three children, all within a firm budget. Sam Crawford Architects saw the opportunity to create within the parameters and has delivered an outstanding renovation.
The home is double brick and presented as a typical 70s internal layout with multiple separate rooms. In order to make change, on the first level, walls were removed and spaces opened up, while downstairs, oversized areas were converted into separate more well-proportioned spaces. In this design, more is achieved with less and is reflected in the interior that is spatially generous, pared back and refined.
“We have designed several houses for our clients’ broader family over a 20-year period – leading to a great deal of trust and mutual respect between parties. This has allowed us to make only the changes to the house that were really needed and nothing more, while still achieving a beautiful outcome.” says Sam Crawford.
Kensington House comprises a foyer/mud room in the re-configured entry and an open plan kitchen, living and dining area with main bedroom and bathroom. Downstairs three equal-sized bedrooms have been created along with a study, rumpus room, bathroom and laundry.
New inclusions such as two skylights provide ample natural light, while a timber screen helps to demarcate areas. A fine timber and steel balustrade for the stair has rejuvenated the connection between the ground and upper level and together these features combine to make a real difference to the quality of the interior design. With excellent spatial flow and room to move, the family can now enjoy all areas of the home with ease.
Related: Space, light and generosity in the terrace house typology
Outside, apart from a new roof and the addition of the skylights, the front parapet has been neatened and a new slimline aluminium balustrade and white timber pergola supplants a derelict balcony. Windows in poor condition were renewed or replaced and where brickwork was repaired, similar original bricks were matched.
Inside, the existing structural slabs were exposed, cut and polished and present a terrazzo-like floor finish. Carefully chosen finishes and fittings, such as tiles and light fittings, complement the aesthetic and are contemporary and elegant.
Crawford elaborates, “Our wonderful clients were very disciplined in their decision making. They selected materials that we proposed and found fixtures and fittings to match their available budget, without compromising the design intent.”
Kitchen cabinetry and all built-in joinery is detailed and appropriate and the colour palette of soft greens, blues, cream and white reflects and refracts the light and adds a relaxed ambience within the interior.
While the design of Kensington House is now ready for living a best life, the surrounding gardens, landscaped by the client, are the icing on the cake for this renovation delight.
Sam Crawford Architects with Sam Crawford as lead on the project and his team of Jarad Grice, Christine Guan and Justin Pak, have met and exceeded the brief and achieved a wonderful resolution with this renovation.
Through thoughtful and layered design, the interior is now open and comfortable, the exterior has been updated and revitalised and Kensington House is a place for a family, to not only live but to thrive.
As Crawford comments, “The house is a material expression of a truly lovely family, open to creative collaboration and committed to design quality and sustainability.”
As the ultimate sustainability statement, reworking an aged residence, such as Kensington House, gives new life to an existing structure and, as adaptive reuse project, it also helps the planet. Excellent architecture and design make all the difference and, in the case of this home, it’s a sensational change for the better.
Photographer of this project, Brett Boardman, is a member of the jury for the 2025 INDE.Awards.
