Glencoe is a careful reworking of a Federation-era home that had been shaped by decades of unsympathetic alterations, leaving a building that was both historically poor and spatially confused. The inner west home, located in the heritage sensitive suburb of Haberfield retained some minor traces of its architectural character, while a series of unsympathetic additions and modifications had eroded its clarity, resulting in a fragmented internal layout and a weak relationship between the front rooms, rear living spaces and garden.

The project responds to this condition by restoring a sense of order and legibility to the original house, while introducing a contemporary rear addition that reframes how the home engages with light, landscape and family life. Rather than attempting to replicate the past, the design establishes a clear dialogue between old and new, allowing each to be read distinctly while contributing to a cohesive whole.

A key architectural strategy is the deliberate separation of experiences between the retained Federation front and the new living addition to the rear. This threshold between periods becomes a defining moment within the home, where more intimate, historically grounded rooms transition into open, light-filled contemporary spaces.

At the rear, the new addition is shaped to maximise northern light and garden outlook, opening the home to its landscape while providing generous, flexible living spaces for a modern family. Carefully composed openings and material choices ensure light is drawn deep into the plan, softening the boundary between interior and exterior.

Throughout the project, a restrained palette and considered detailing allow the original character of the Federation home to remain present, while ensuring the new work is confident and contemporary in its expression. The result is a home that feels both grounded and renewed — where heritage is not replicated, but reinterpreted through clarity, restraint and light.