5 Colours

Location: North Melbourne, Melbourne

Status: Completed in 2024

Alteration and double-storey addition to existing house,

Tucked away from the main street, the subtly painted ‘5 Colours’ was designed for a family of four to accomodate their growing kids within a narrow and long plot. The design brief called for two extra bedrooms and reconfiguration og the existing layout for a more functional space.

One of the biggest challenge of the project was bringing natural light into the middle section of the long terrace house, particularly with the addition of a second storey. To address this, a row of skylight was installed in the double storey section. The double height section distinctly created a threshold between the original house and the extension part built in the 90s, it also offered opportunities to reveal original elements of the house and enabling direct connections between levels with strategically placed openings.

We are fortunate to be engaged by a previous client once again to design a new living space for them. With the Colour Shingle located at the rear of the very same site, ‘5 Colours’ was designed to compliment the vibrant back studio - mainly cladded in white but allowing coloured light to be painted on this canvas by incorporating coloured perxpex in the awnings.

Photo credit: Peter Bennetts, Ray Cheung