Eaglemont House

All demure federation brick cottage up front, Kennedy Nolan’s Eaglemont House is all unexpected grandeur and soaring sensuous curves from behind. It’s a combination something akin to a highpowered Bentley streetcar, or an extremely well-cut Armani suit: the rear extension billows out unexpectedly like a swathe of black satin, an effect at the same time subtly monumental and coolly impressive, emanating quiet charm from the front, and refined luxury upon closer inspection.

The project brief involved the reinvention of an existing interwar timber house, framed by established European trees, including a monumental oak tree at the rear of the site.

The existing floor was lowered to ground level, which completely reframed the interior of the home, creating a dramatic ceiling height and a sense of tradition throughout the home. Taking full advantage of the dramatically sloping site, interior double doors leading back from the home’s front rooms now open onto a drop-away view of the new dining, kitchen and living areas below. The changed floor level has also added a sense of visual and physical continuity between the internal spaces and surrounding gardens, reestablishing a harmonic interaction between the traditional home and garden – a connection that is often broken over time as interior and landscape trends progress at differing paces and according to different needs. Glazing divisions on the living room are designed to abstract the appearance of tree trunks, further blurring the delineation of garden and interior.

The classic autumnal accents of the landscape carry through into the home’s new décor, where enigmatic yet restrained materials in glossy textures and earthy tones dominate. Deep timber panelling mimics the natural oak outdoors, while rich, warm yellow and orange hues contrast the clean white walls and familiar dark duskiness of Chinese black slate tiles. On the interior of that billowing black façade is the new parents’ retreat, the curve of the wall enhanced with silver-black wallpaper, and windows looking through the oak branches to the garden below. The overall effect creates a stylish new personality within the home, while still embracing the classic features of interwar home architecture, such as rustic brick walls (now toned down under a coat of alabaster off-white) and delicate plaster-moulded ceilings.

Much of this is in keeping with the reputation Kennedy Nolan Architects has secured in the eight years since inception, generating architectural elements through the exploration of colour and materials. The firm also utilises graphic and sculptural forms in the conception and design of their projects, while also focusing on a strong relationship with the contextual environment, whether it be a dense urban or rural setting. Moreover, Kennedy Nolan Architects have become known for their highly responsive designs; a characteristic that is always paramount when working in building additions and alterations. Much of the programmatic aim of the Eaglemont House project revolved around maintaining as much of the existing home as possible, and ensuring a continued connection between house and land. As such, architect Rachel Nolan preserved much of the existing home: the front two rooms, the roof, and some of the walls. As Nolan says, “It was good bones and it was worth recycling”. And if one needed more evidence of the overall success of the project, the RAIA has plenty. In awarding Kennedy Nolan Architects with the 2007 Regional Residential Award for Alterations & Additions, the RAIA specifically commended Kennedy Nolan Architects on the “confidence, joy and inventiveness” of the design, the “vibrant tonal autumnal colour palette”, and the firm’s undeniable success in overcoming the traditional “box-on-theback” suburban renovation with such a “rich and engaging” reunion of old and new.

The new incarnation of the Eaglemont House is a carefully considered welcoming retreat, as far from a brash imposition as could be imagined. And one needn’t look far for proof of the design’s harmonising effect: just a glimpse through the oak leaves to those fluid black curves and classic brickworktimber pas-de-deux ought to do it. +

PHOTOGRAPHY by Derek Swallwell

1 Subtly textured slate, glossy timber and marble add intrigue to the internal surfaces. 2 Clean, bold, angular lines are softened by natural materials, such as stone, marble and timber. 3 At night, light from inside softens the boundary between indoor and outdoor. 4 The design makes use of interesting sight lines and contrasting colours to create specific focal points within the home.