CASCADE HOUSE

Architect John Ellway teams up with designer Jacqueline Kaytar to create a contemporary indoor–outdoor addition to her Brisbane cottage.

STRETCHING OUT

While internally and structurally sound, the cottage was originally purchased in a dilapidated state and required a thoughtful renovation. Ellway chose not to raise it to build underneath (a common solution in the hilly local area), which can change a home's relationship to the streetscape; instead, he opted to stay true to its original Queenslander character, and add a new extension to the vacant land beside it.

View of the Cascade house kitchen featuring the minimal oven

Project Type: Residential Renovation

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Architect: John Ellway Architect

Photographer: Toby Scott

CASCADING SPACES

The new addition is, effectively, an extension of the veranda roof to the west, under which shelters a series of new platforms cascading down the sloping site that contain the kitchen, dining and living areas. The old cottage is connected to the new extension by a sheltered central garden and an open breezeway. Other connections and views to the outside world abound, from the floor–to–ceiling sliding doors that open the dining room to the lawn, to the entirely glazed kitchen wall overlooking the pool.

Glazed kitchen wall overlooking the pool

BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED FUNCTIONALITY

Jacqueline had long been interested in using a reduced material palette of brass and plywood: in her own kitchen, she opted for brass countertops set into plywood cabinetry, against a floor of polished concrete that flows through and connects the entire entertaining space. Her fascination with texture has resulted in an interior that is utilitarian and organic while simultaneously exquisitely detailed.

“The fact that Fisher & Paykel appliances seamlessly integrate with the custom joinery and the design of the home is so important to me as a designer and someone who values aesthetics,” she says. “It was key that our functional pieces not only performed well, but also looked beautiful and blended in with what John and I were trying to achieve.”