Hiding behind a tree on the streets of Sydney’s Inner West is the JJ House by
Bokey Grant Architects. Once covered in pitiful changes, the former worker’s cottage been reinvigorated with elements towing between the original and the contemporary. What appears to be a house full of complexity, reveals a refreshing approach of unifying a relationship between the old and new in a minimalist approach.
You wouldn’t believe that this federation bungalow is only 108 metres square when it generously holds three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, living and dining. Bokey Grant maintained the original integrity of the cottage by adopting the house’s original footprint, existing walls and lean-too roof found in the kitchen. The architects also took advantage of the former logical plan and loaded corridor, maintaining the classic circulation of the house. It’s easy to distinguish which areas are maintained or added. The walls are quite telling in what is old and what is new. Smooth walls reaching up towards the detailed datum is the former, and textured surfaces connected to an evened ceiling represents the new. Thresholds have been made low, all while incorporating the language of high light windows found in the original corridor – cementing a conscious transition demonstrating the architect’s expertise with heritage architecture.
