Little O’Grady in Albert Park has been carefully designed to meet the needs of a dynamic family—where the adult children of the client can come and stay and feel at home.
McMahon and Nerlich were engaged to reimagine this small worker’s cottage, transforming it into a modern city retreat that connects with its surroundings. The challenge was to create a space that maximised light, functionality, and flow while maintaining a sense of calm and simplicity.
The result is a home that opens up with a central courtyard while thoughtfully integrating warm materials, offering plenty of room for family gatherings or that feeling of luxury when home alone.
Little Oak Grady is a result of the challenges we faced with the home.
Our client is an independent, adventurous and well-travelled woman living in coastal Victoria,
with this her city crash pad. Her adult children are both actors living overseas
and wanting to accommodate them better when they come and stay, a renovation was desperately needed.
And with a new grandchild arriving, there was a renewed sense of urgency to provide
a base for her family. The house is in Albert Park,
a bayside suburb south of Melbourne, on a small lane-like street.
The area has a unique mix of architecture with late Victorian homes,
as well as intact row houses in different periods. With access to the beach, Albert Park Lake and
boutique shopping, it's no surprise that people don't move away, and this is partly why our client
chose to renovate. The site is compact, only 110 square metres, and comes with the added
challenge of being south-facing. The original house was a single-bedroom cottage with a tiny
living room and a corridor that opened up to a one-room kitchen dining space, and a small deck
at the rear. When visiting, you never got any of the joy that comes when you invite sunlight into
your house, so it was definitely a priority with the design. Of course, the owner wanted her sons
to be able to stay and be comfortable, so there was desire for a guest suite, turning it into a
We normally try to solve the south-facing challenge first, and that was critical here,
so we quickly came up with an option for a courtyard scheme. The challenge was to allow it
to completely open, and this is done by a series of sliding and stacking doors that move completely
out of the way, creating one large space that encompasses the living room, the courtyard,
and the kitchen. Just one beautifully generous space, which is particularly effective when the
Wedged between two row houses, there is a small front veranda garden.
You enter the home, and to your right is the original bedroom of the cottage,
with a new guest bathroom. Creating this downstairs bathroom was important,
so a remapping of the layout was needed. Beyond the bathroom is the open living room,
with built-in joinery which opens to the beautiful courtyard.
It may seem strange not to fully utilise the space under the stairs and to have an open
tread staircase, particularly in such a small footprint, where storage is always needed.
However, one of the best things you can do in a small house to give a feeling of space and
spatial flow is to open the stairs to allow light to filter through. It actually increases
the feeling of space. Past the stairs and courtyard is the kitchen and dining space,
with rear access. Although compact, nothing has been compromised in the design of the kitchen,
with plenty of storage and modern appliances. Being at the southern end of the site,
the kitchen has several highlight windows which allow for northern and eastern sun,
and another highlight window which connects through to the borrowed landscape of the south.
Upstairs is the client's retreat, with their bedroom and ensuite, as well as a small balcony.
The bathroom is tucked into the form of the roof as it rakes down,
without impacting on the courtyard below. Bathing is important to the owner. To give
a bit more wow factor, we added a beautiful skylight over the bath,
which dissolves into the window to provide a big sky view and a sense of delight when bathing.
With tight heritage controls, the upstairs was challenging. We ended up pushing it back to the
middle of the site in order to comply with the City of Port Phillip heritage policy envelope,
and tucking and weaving when necessary to avoid overshadowing the neighbours.
The client was very open to material choices. There were of course some clear budget constraints
that we had to work within, and as always, sustainability of materials and structure
was a key consideration. As a result, timber becomes the defining materiality.
It was an opportunity to express sustainable construction
that has a beauty and warmth. So we left the structure exposed, showcasing
ceiling joists and beams, and their attention to craftsmanship and detail, and this works
in together with timber finishes to the floor, windows, doors and joinery.
The space is expanded by the mirrored stainless steel splashback,
which harmonises beautifully with the timber tones.
Externally, bare stone, which is a fibre cement sheet cladding, provided that mix of longevity
that the client was searching for, especially as it doesn't require painting or coating maintenance
over the long term. Timber lining boards externally pick up on the timber theme and
were a way to connect the interior materiality to the exterior materiality. These two materials
also work really well with the landscaping elements. While there is a bit going on when
you see this house, there's a real sense of calm and zen-like feeling to the space.
The repetition of elements you experience in the exposed timber of the ceiling plan
as it goes through the house is picked up by the repetition of elements of the hanging stair,
which has open steel rod balustrades and timber treads.
The natural light and the flow of space evoke that feeling of calmness.
By separating the living room via the courtyard to the kitchen at the rear,
a beautiful light comes in and when combined with a reduced strong timber materiality,
opening up into a single lounge space, it all makes for a generous and beautiful place to live.
