Tea House

Location: Glen Iris, Melbourne

Status: Completed in 2021

New double-storey residence.

The tea house designed for a family of four with visiting grandparents reflects the past while creating opportunities for the future. The brief asked for an integrated self-functioning house for the grandparents comprising its own kitchen and utilities areas. This was looked at as an opportunity to transform a single dwelling into a dual living scenario in the future.

The design aimed to apply human scale to the project and challenge an unending site. The conceptual breakdown of the house allowed for surprising views of the leftover spaces in between the walls of the functioning rooms. Several outdoor nooks were formed as an aftermath of the push and pull. These nooks were carefully crafted keeping in mind privacy of the neighbours by restricting adjacent views using the timber batten façade. This led to a search for a release, a view.  The open roof design provided an opportunity, allowing for unrestricted views of the never-ending sky. While the strategic punctures in the facade framed glimpses of the streetscape and cityscape beyond.

The practice of feng shui is applied to the project where balance is maintained through the spatial and visual continuity. Positioning the front entry door and the circular opening on the wall along an axis that not only connects spaces but also transfers energy from one room to another.

This energy flow is translated and continued using circular elements like light fixtures, furniture & the rangehood. Each design element and chosen material purposefully contribute to fostering tranquillity, enveloping the space in an atmosphere of undisturbed calmness.

The project has several such references stemming from the client’s passion for ancient oriental architecture informing design decisions and materiality. The heavy masonry brick facade on the ground floor contrasted by a lightweight timber batten façade as a conceptual lantern creates a shadow play on the interiors. On entering through the large timber doors, the dark brick wall creat.es an inversion, allowing one to experience outdoor continuity. The tearoom, strategically positioned at the front, serves as a contemporary interpretation of a traditional front-facing porch. 

Here, the family can relish moments bathed in morning sunlight while savouring Chinese tea—an homage to the timeless rituals of the past

Photo credit: Peter Bennetts, Ray Cheung