Designed for passionate gardeners, the addition is composed of two interconnected pavilions that gently open around a central courtyard. Positioned to capture northern light above the original bungalow roofline, this new inner garden forms a tranquil green heart to the home. 

Sculpted roof forms twist upwards toward the sun like flowers in bloom, revealing triangular highlight windows that wash the interiors with soft, energising natural light. The clients sought a home with greater space, light and connection to gardens, including a productive kitchen garden closely integrated with daily life. The brief also required dedicated work-from-home space and a separate guest suite for extended family visiting from Malaysia for significant periods throughout the year. 

A key ambition was to retain a single-storey form to minimise overshadowing of the garden while resolving the challenging orientation of north to the street. Although the compact footprint imposed spatial constraints, the clients embraced efficient planning and intimate, cosy rooms designed for close familylife and informal gatherings with friends. 

The central courtyard is fundamental to making the home feel expansive. It visually extends spaces across the site while drawing in warming winter sunlight and facilitating cooling cross ventilation. Constant visual connection to gardens and glimpses of family members in rooms beyond reinforce a sense of togetherness and calm. 
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A distinctive aspect of the brief was the incorporation of traditional Malaysian ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ kitchen zones, allowing intensely aromatic cooking to occur separately from the social heart of the home. This contemporary local interpretation pairs an open dry kitchen for sociable cooking and shared meals with a more utilitarian back-of-house wet kitchen containing preparation space, sink, dishwasher, fridge, rice cooker, steamer and storage.

The dry kitchen gently departs from tradition by incorporating a cooktop while extending outward to an outdoor cooking and barbecue area for smoky, aromatic gastronomy. Another local twist is the booth seat integrated into the kitchen bench that amplifies the room’s sociable flavour while providing a compact and efficient dining solution.

Timber joinery and green cabinetry reinforce connections to the surrounding courtyard gardens, bringing warmth and tactility alongside the practical robustness of stainless steel surfaces.

Open shelving allows everyday utensils, cookware and literature to become part of the architecture itself, expressing the family’s culinary traditions and enhancing the welcoming, shared character of the home.

The renovation and addition increases the thermal performance and sustainability of the house, being all-electric and incorporating passive solar design, double glazing and high levels of insulation.