The initial rough sketch for this residential renovation project served as an invaluable and effective tool for aligning the early architectural concept closely to the client’s specific requirements, desires and goals. Getting the overall vision correctly established right from the outset was critically important.

While still respecting and working within the relatively modest footprint of the existing federation timber cottage, the preliminary sketches boldly anticipated opening it up dramatically. The goal was to create bright, light-filled, highly flexible and open-flowing interior spaces. Putting the kitchen as the centralised heart of the home and carefully connecting it to clearly defined yet seamlessly blended zones for different daily activities like living, dining, as well as covered external lounging areas and outdoor recreational spaces associated with a new swimming pool and backyard, was carefully articulated even in this simple preliminary sketch phase.

Having a highly informed, skilled and collaborative client who understood the project vision certainly helped tremendously in retaining and reinforcing these key drivers of the original concept, allowing them to be fully manifested in the final constructed building. The fact that the finished renovated home so accurately and faithfully reflects those original rough sketched concepts is a real testament to just how vital their importance was in properly setting the overarching project vision and design direction from day one. Leveraging rough sketches upfront to carefully align with the client’s needs and wants, while also accounting for all the key functional, experiential and aesthetic goals, clearly paid substantial dividends.

Architects: Jon King, Alex Cassar

Interiors : Jojo Horder

Clients: Luke and Jojo Horder

Photographer: Luke Butterly