Apart from designing the Heidi home and gallery in Bulleen, Melbourne, Cera Stribley also designing numerous of modes beach houses. And this one is located at Sorrento, on the edge of a cliff and overlooking Port Phillip Bay, dating from the early 1960s, is an architectural gem.
When the architects examine this home, it’s untouched, except the bedroom. It’s built in the 80s, but still in the same ‘vein’ as the original one.
‘It was fairly intact, but some of the materials had faded, including some of the exterior radiate pine cladding,’ says architect Chris Stribley. ‘One of the main elements to show its age was the canvas clad ceiling in the living areas, lined with seaweed for insulation,’ he recalls, referring to the green stains.
There are 4 rooms in total that also required updating. ‘We were extremely mindful from the outset that this home deserved a light touch, but still providing for the creature comforts expected by the owners, a retired couple.’ Although everything in this house look undamaged, but still, this house need some help. With the hydronic heating and new double-glazed windows, Cera Stribley Architects will bring back the classic of 60s into the 21st century.
In the new kitchen, all replaced by the terracotta tiles (including the concrete benches). ‘We included the same chunky overhead timber beams, but we removed the telephone unit (a sign of those times) that formerly obstructed the view of the water,’ says Stribley. A hallmark of McGlashan & Everist, the concealed lighting and leather pull handles, cleverly used for the joinery.
For those who entering the house will admiring the timber battened screen and front doors concealing the inner yard. As the result, this beach house renovation can still be enjoyed for decades to come.
