Bringing functionality and contemporary expertise to a 1960s home in Adelaide, Jon Lowe Architect have brought functionality and assurance to Spotted Gum House.
Reconfigured for a young family, the original home’s layout was cramped and illogical. The original brief included the removal and alteration of the existing residence, as well as adding additional rooms and connecting the entertaining spaces to the exterior.
The existing kitchen was boxed-in, while the dining room opened out to a cramped gazebo, with no connection to the backyard. The removal of a wall between the two spaces ensured freedom of movement, an opening out towards the rear deck, with a window seat in the living room seemingly increasing the room’s space while improving cross-ventilation capabilities.
An existing carport in the rear yard was moved to the front, with a second living space erected in its place. The home, Californian in its typology, has seen its retro style come to the fore under Jon Lowe, with the new carport and verandah featuring curved steel columns and flowing roofs, reminiscent of the aesthetic.
The steel columns are grouped with the original sandstone and cream brickwork to create a playful, futuristic external palette. An internal palette of timber, stone and cream walls is composed yet vibrant, allowing natural light to permeate the interior spaces.
