Moor Street House by Andrew Maynard Architects, Australia

Exterior of house in Fitzroy, with wood deck, looking into open plan kitchen

Andrew Maynard and Mark Austin of Andrew Maynard Architects reworked the size and shape of a century-old terrace house in Fitzroy, Melbourne, extending towards the rear garden with a series of colourful, cedar-clad volumes Photography: Peter Bennetts

(Image credit: Peter Bennetts)

By Ellie Stathaki

last updated 1 September 2022

in Features

Front exterior view of Moor Street House during the day - a white terraced house with trees and a road in front — Though the front façade maintains the simplicity of the traditional terrace...

Rear exterior view of Moor Street House and the outside area during the day - the lower level offers a view of the kitchen through the open glass door and the cantilevered upper level is red and brown with large windows — ... the cantilevered upper level creates a visual break when viewed from the rear

Interior view of the kitchen at Moor Street House featuring white walls, grey flooring, wooden units with shelving, an island with a marble top, a marble splashback, a fridge, black pendant lights and a dark coloured dining table with brown chairs — The architects redesigned the internal arrangement to open up the spaces and bring in more natural light, improving on the small, dimly lit rooms of the original

Interior view of a space at Moor Street House opposite the kitchen area featuring wood panelled walls, grey flooring, a fixed desk with a white chair and windows in front and a low, light coloured unit with a plant on top — They panelled the new spaces in spotted-gum timber

Interior view of the opposite side of the kitchen at Moor Street House featuring wood panelled walls, grey flooring, black pendant lights, a red seat, a round dining table and chairs, a low, light coloured unit with a plant on top, a workspace and windows. There is also a partial view of the island with a marble top in the kitchen area — ... and removed a lean-to addition at the back, widening the house's footprint to make up for the loss

Interior view of the kitchen and dining area at Moor Street House featuring white and wood panelled walls, grey flooring, wooden units, black pendant lights, kitchen appliances, an island, a dining table with chairs and a red seat. There is a view of the outside area through the open door — The ground-floor living and kitchen areas are located at the rear of the house

Interior view from outside of the bathroom upstairs and the downstairs workspace and dining area through the windows. There is a tall Japanese maple tree outside and the upper level has a red exterior — The original courtyard, home to an impressive Japanese maple tree, was preserved in the renovations

Interior view of the bathroom at Moor Street House featuring white tiles on the floor and walls, large windows offering a view of the Japanese maple tree outside and a white freestanding bath — In the upstairs bathroom, an entire wall is glazed to connect it with the courtyard

Interior view of a bedroom at Moor Street House featuring white and wood panelled walls, wood flooring, a bed with white pillows and linen, a window, wall lamps, a white ceiling fan, pendant lights, a tall black radiator and a decorative model of a building on the lower part of the wall — The bedrooms are split between the two storeys. This one is on the upper level

Alternative view of a bedroom at Moor Street House featuring white and wood panelled walls, wood flooring, a bed with white pillows and linen, a window, a wall lamp, a white ceiling fan, pendant lights, a tall black radiator and a decorative model of a building on the lower part of the wall — All the rooms feature steel details, in the exposed structure, window frames and doors

Alternative view of a bedroom at Moor Street House featuring wood panelled walls, wood flooring, a bed with white pillows and linen, a wall lamp, a white ceiling fan, a large mirror and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the trees and blue sky outside — Vast widths of glazing on the top floor bring in light and offer views towards the surrounding worker's cottages through the trees

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).