Cedar House is a reinterpretation and renovation of a classic example of 1970’s modernist architecture.

After living in the home for many years, our clients invited us to reimagine the spaces through a modern lens and design ethos, while respecting the strength and character of the original design.

Working in close collaboration with our clients, our team of architects, designers, and construction specialists inspired and guided them through a renewal process that resulted in a stunning renovation, taking the home forward for the next 50 years while still feeling as if it had always been this way.

Architectural Design that Respects a Home’s Past & Preserves Its Future

Our team approached Cedar House as a sensitive edit, in which we brought deep respect for the home’s original architect and his vision for a modernist home of earthy charm and character. Now referred to as ‘Bush Modernism’, this style is anchored in a celebration of the Australian landscape, dramatically framing it with wood, concrete, stone and tile – durable, practical materials that reflect the Australian environment. Throughout the architectural design and construction phases, the focus was on cohesion and continuity: delivering on the clients’ brief while seamlessly matching the home’s historic fabric.

Interior Design That Embraces the Landscape

Throughout the interiors, bronze metalwork, blackbutt joinery, tadelakt render, stone and marble deliver a restrained palette inspired by and continuing the original home’s materials. Together they marry to create a calm, neutral backdrop which draws the eye towards the terrace – the unexpected hero of the home.

Running the full length of the house, the elevated terrace is central to the home’s design. Sensing the unrealised value of this exterior living zone, our team extended the roof planes outwards to create two new outdoor living areas. The first space is for lounging, sheltered from the elements, taking in the expansive views and frequent encounters with passing wildlife. The second space features an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, where our clients gather to cook and entertain informally, en famille.

Indoors, the home’s open-plan living arrangement was retained and celebrated, with the original stone fireplace continuing to define the transition between the living and dining areas, and the outdated kitchen transformed through refined timber joinery into a powerful new asset to the home. Living area floors have been updated with flagstones that run continuously from interior to exterior, mirrored by the original cedar-lined ceiling, which has now been extended out to the terrace.

By extending the living spaces while unifying new with old materials, the home has been quietly amplified, and the traditional boundaries between inside and out have been dissolved. It is a kind of approach to architecture and interior design that reveals itself gently, wherever your eyes may roam, always deferring to the bushland and garden that remains central to this home’s original vision.