Completed in the 1970s, and designed by Chancellor & Patrick Architects, Raheen was renovated by CKA Studio in 2023.

Broadly, the goals of the project included reworking light, flow and amenity for a contemporary family, while preserving the home’s original mid-century character.

At the same time, innovation can be seen in a modern reinterpretation that keeps the energetic nostalgia and many of the original fixtures and fittings intact.

The now-renovated home includes more functional space, a reconfigured kitchen for everyday use and entertaining, improved flow between zones, better light and more storage.

Restored contrasting brickwork and cedar-lined ceilings anchor the overall design, while light crazy-paving stonework, rolled-edged Corian and warm walnut joinery lift once-dark spaces into calm.

Acknowledging the need to balance preservation with modern intervention as their central challenge, the architects responded with restraint. They restricted most of their intervention to the main floor, where they were most needed.

The existing living areas were low, dark and narrow. To address this, rather than extend, they chose to reconfigure – to remove poky rooms and open the plan to the raked timber ceilings and double-height voids.

Similarly, full-height glazing replaces smaller openings, while light crazy-paving stonework and rendered walls now redistribute daylight through the home.

Split across two sections and dominated by an oversized copper range hood, the original kitchen obstructed flow. Now reconfigured, it centres around a long island bench with integrated appliances, more storage and concealed servery moments.

Materiality carries the design. Natural, textural elements ground the palette while lighter tones and mixed metallics lift the once-dark ambience.

Light-reflective crazy-paving stonework and textured rendered walls fill the main space, bridged with the existing textured brickwork and cedar-clad ceilings through natural rattan, rolled-edged Corian, rich walnut joinery, mixed-metal hardware and a suspended fireplace.

Preservation is as deliberate as intervention. Original fixtures and fittings - German blown-glass chandeliers, wall-hung ashtrays and original tiling – are retained as anchors rather than overwritten.

In the bathroom, stacked floor-to-ceiling brick tiles echo the home's brickwork language, and a curated collection of vintage Australian and Italian furniture deepens the authenticity of each room.

Raheen's success is in its restraint. Rather than expand or replace, the project begins with a heritage mid-century home and recalibrates it for contemporary life. Softly rounded forms and raw materials - walnut, concrete and stone - create a space that is playful yet calm.

By not extending beyond the roofline, the design cleared council faster and reduced embodied energy. Significantly, this last point was achieved through planning discipline rather than added systems. Raheen's sustainability strategy, in other words, centres on retention, reuse and longevity.

Preserving the existing structure and its embodied energy, the architects chose to reuse existing fixtures and fittings. Employing a lighting plan that maximises natural light, they also integrated, efficient appliances.

The palette bridges the home's existing textures – contrasting red brickwork and cedar-clad ceilings with a lighter, warmer set of new materials. Stone brings brightness underfoot, walnut brings warmth, and mixed metals add a note of luxe.

“Raheen's renovation epitomises our approach: respect for architectural heritage coupled with a contemporary vision,” says Sammy Kairouz, Director of Interiors at CKA Studio.

“It is about honouring the past while creating spaces that resonate with modern living.”

Furniture: Grazia&Co, Eames, Knoll, Arflex, Featherston, Jardan, Armadillo, Living Edge, Great Dane, Tigmi Trading
Lighting: Anchor Ceramics, Nuura, About Space, Vintage - German blown-glass chandelier
Finishes: Elton Group, Camberwell Cane, Bishops Master Finishes, Terranova, Robertson Building Products, Dulux
Fittings & Fixtures: Corian, Astra Walker, Zip, Omvivo, Oblica,
Appliances: Wolf, Liebherr, Fisher & Paykel

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