Newcastle Living Magazine
Edition 8
Where Old Meets New
Nestled in the heart of Hamilton near historic Gregson Park is a home that perfectly balances an interplay between the old cottages of Newcastle’s past with the bespoke architecture that is slowly helping to reframe Newcastle’s future. The end result is a home full of intricate details, sophistication and a sense of tranquility.
After purchasing the 100 year old federation property in 2019, the owners were unsure whether they would keep the cottage front or start again from the ground up. After deciding to stick with the original double brick, they contacted the team at Curious Practice after a thorough search for the right architect.
“We researched local and Sydney-based architects and felt Curious Practice’s design aesthetic, attention to detail and finish would give us the final high-end result we were looking for,” says the owners.
“It was really important that the space was functional and worked for our three growing boys. “
The now four bedroom, three bathroom and two car space abode is a careful deliberation in what it means to contrast the past with the present. While the front door and double hung leadlight windows from the original house were restored, they now work alongside newer features such as cedar shingles, terrazzo tiles and marble step treads.
As the director of Curious Practice, Warren Haasnoot tells us that the real key to bringing this house together was putting an emphasis on what was already existing while finding ways to reinterpret and expand on those ideas.
“We spent a lot of time during the planning phase studying the plans to ensure there were separate zones for our family to branch off.”
“There were some fantastic large rooms in the original brick cottage so we wanted to maintain as much of the existing house as possible, the back lean-to was removed and internal walls adjusted to provide better flow and connection to the addition at the rear,” Says Warren.
“We really enjoy the challenge of working with existing buildings – reorganising the planning to better connect with the site, seasons and patterns of contemporary family living.
“The architectural home provides flexible planning that allows the family to find pockets of privacy, a nice place to relax, study or work from home.”
This sentiment is echoed by the owners too, who say this emphasis on privacy was unexpectedly crucial for life in lockdown during the pandemic.
“We spent a lot of time during the planning phase studying the plans to ensure there were separate zones for our family to branch off – this was a blessing come the second lockdown in 2021 last year,” says the owners.
As well as Curious Practice, the home was brought together with the help of VC Carpentry, which the owner credits as really nailing the detail in every aspect of the build.
“The build itself was done by Vincent Coufreur from VC Carpentry. His attention to detail was truly impeccable and we couldn’t recommend him enough.”
