Renovation & Extension · Richmond · Inner Melbourne
Richmond
Terrace
A heritage Victorian terrace sensitively extended and transformed — preserving the character of the street while unlocking a thoroughly contemporary way of living inside.
Location
Richmond, VIC
Type
Renovation & Extension
Storeys
Double Storey
Configuration
3 Bed · 2 Bath
Services
Design · Build · Interiors
Status
Completed
The Brief
The clients had lived in their Richmond terrace for years and loved the street, the neighbourhood, and the bones of the original home. What they needed was more — more light, more space, a kitchen that worked for the way they actually cook and entertain, and an outdoor area that felt like a genuine extension of the house rather than an afterthought. The original Victorian facade was non-negotiable: the intervention had to read as contemporary without unsettling the heritage character of the streetscape.
The Outcome
A double-height rear extension with full-width glazing transformed the back of the terrace into a generous open-plan kitchen, dining and living zone that pours out to a landscaped courtyard and outdoor dining terrace. The original facade was restored and the front rooms reconfigured for a quieter, more private function. Wednesday Projects managed design, planning approvals, construction and interior specification as a single team, delivering a result that is coherent from the streetscape through to the garden wall.
The Facade
Heritage preserved, character strengthened
The street presence of the original Victorian terrace was restored and refined rather than concealed or contrasted. Render was repaired and upgraded, the arched entry restored, and the front garden replanted with a considered palette of species that complement the limestone fence piers and wrought iron gate without competing with the architecture.
The louvred timber screen to the front window provides privacy from the street while drawing filtered natural light into the sitting room beyond — a detail that reads as quietly purposeful rather than conspicuously designed. The result is a home that holds its place in the streetscape with confidence.
Dining & Staircase
Volume, light and vertical movement through the heart of the home
The dining zone sits at the junction of the old and new — beneath a double-height void that draws light from high clerestory glazing and connects the ground and upper levels without closing them off from each other. The floating staircase, with its open timber treads and slender steel balustrade, is both a circulation element and a centrepiece: visible from the kitchen, the dining table, and the garden beyond.
Terrazzo flooring runs continuously from the kitchen through to the dining area, grounding the space with a material that is generous in scale and effortless in maintenance — well suited to a household that uses the space hard.
Kitchen
A working kitchen that holds its quality in daily use
The kitchen runs the full length of the extension — a generous galley arrangement with a stone-topped island that provides a second work surface and an informal gathering point for the household. The material palette brings together marble benchtops with pronounced veining, flat-panel cabinetry in a warm linen tone, and upper cabinets in a complementary oak veneer that lightens the north wall.
Every element was specified before construction commenced — joinery dimensions, appliance selection, tap position, lighting layout. That level of pre-resolution is what allows a kitchen of this quality to be delivered without cost surprises or on-site improvisation.
Living Room
Full-height glazing that brings the garden into the room
The living zone is anchored by a wall of floor-to-ceiling glazing that frames the landscaped courtyard as a continuous backdrop. Sheer linen screening diffuses direct afternoon light while preserving the sense of spatial connection — a considered balance between openness and comfort that the clients use differently across each season.
The double height of the extension gives the living space a quality of volume that is rare in inner-city terrace renovations. Warm plaster walls, a low-profile sectional sofa, and a restrained furniture selection allow the space to breathe — the architecture does the work, not the objects within it.
Courtyard & Outdoor Dining
A garden room designed to be used, not admired from inside
The courtyard was conceived as an outdoor room — not a transitional space between house and boundary, but a destination in its own right. Limestone paving matches the internal floor finish, allowing the two planes to read as one continuous surface when the glazed wall is open. Low-level garden lighting, a considered planting palette and a dining setting for six make the space usable across seasons and times of day.
The rear elevation of the extension — with its double-height glazing glowing at dusk — becomes the backdrop to this outdoor room. On a terrace site in inner Melbourne, achieving this quality of outdoor amenity requires precise planning of levels, boundaries, overlooking, and glazing systems from the earliest stages of design.
Ensuite
A light well that turns a bathroom into a sanctuary
The main ensuite is positioned to borrow light from a narrow planting court — a private light well visible through full-height glazing that brings natural light and a sense of the outdoors into a space that might otherwise read as internal. The freestanding bath is positioned to face the court directly, making it the focal point of the room without requiring any decorative gesture.
Honed stone tiles to floor and walls, a floating timber vanity, and recessed storage behind mirror panels give the bathroom a quiet authority. Wall-mounted tapware in brushed steel and a concealed toilet suite complete a specification that is resolved without being elaborate — the hallmark of a bathroom built to last and look better with time, not less.
Project Complexity
What made this project demanding to deliver well
Heritage Overlay
The property sits within a Heritage Overlay in the City of Yarra. Every element of the rear extension — height, setback, materiality, glazing proportion — was developed in parallel with the planning strategy to achieve a contemporary result within the constraints of the overlay, without compromise.
Double-Height Structural Insert
The double-height rear extension required careful structural engineering to achieve the span of glazing without intermediate columns. The engineering solution was integrated into the architectural design from the concept stage — not resolved on site — ensuring the glazed wall could be delivered exactly as drawn.
Terrace Site Constraints
Working within a narrow inner-city terrace lot — shared walls on both sides, limited site access, overlooking requirements, and existing services running through the slab — demands experienced site management and a construction methodology planned well in advance of breaking ground.
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