The home’s northern wing was opened up, with a sitting area at one end that’s loosely divided from the dining area by means of a bespoke joinery unit designed by the practice.

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Evocative of the 1970s but certainly not trying to imitate the period, this unit allows sight lines from the sitting room through to the kitchen and living area beyond. While the finishes and materials appear to be original, Studio Bright relined the timber ceilings, added new bluestone floors to replace the damaged slate, and reconfigured the window and door apertures to allow for greater insulation and access to a larger terrace.

When it came to the kitchen, there’s now a green marble island bench and splashback combined with wall-to-wall timber joinery. “From the outset, we wanted to unlock the ‘DNA’ of the house and work out what it wanted to be rather than us imposing on it,” says Bright, who could see the place revealing itself with every strategic move. “We were fortunate that all the internal brick walls were still original and not, like many from this period, covered in plaster,” she adds.

Although the house originally comprised four bedrooms, some of these have been reworked to include a home office and spaces such as a sewing room.

And given the purpose was to create a “forever” house, Studio Bright inserted new stairs (the old ones were dodgy) and a lift. The home’s exterior was also thoughtfully reworked with a new perforated concertinaed aluminium balustrade that extends from the terrace to the carport – a contemporary nod that creates privacy, allows for sunlight to permeate and doubles as a frame for the garden bed by landscape designer Sam Eagan.

While the home’s high front brick fence remains, as well as the original entry sequence through the generous porch, a portion of the brick fence has been tapered to allow the beauty of an established gum tree to be fully expressed.

“The project felt like we were unpicking a jumper, taking the threads apart, but ever so carefully, allowing the house to breathe in the process,” says Bright.

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