Middle Cove House in Sydney, New South Wales Villa, NSW Home Photos, Australian Residence, Architecture

Middle Cove House in Sydney

8 June 2023

Architects: INSITE STUDIO Architecture and Design

Location: Middle Cove, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Photos by Katherine Lu

Middle Cove House, New South Wales

Located in a lower North Shore suburb surrounded by mid-century houses, this 1970s brick Middle Cove House has been transformed to provide open yet inter-connected living spaces for a client who loves plants and have three active cats. The key of this project is to provide privacy from the street.

The original house has a number of living areas but they were disconnected and devoid of natural light. The rear of the house backs onto rocky bush reserves and leaves no room for any outdoor living.

The architectural intervention removed all partition walls from the living rooms and created a combined living area that can accommodate different activities. The front balcony that runs along the entire front facade of the building has been semi-enclosed to become an extension of the living room.

It provides an usable outdoor living space as well as a sheltered outdoor environment for the client’s cats and pot plants. Sliding timber screens allows parts of the balcony to be visually closed off from the street yet provides a controlled level of light and shade. The architectural expression pays homage to the suburb’s strong Mid-century character.