Strength of Character - Bustle House by FMD Architects

The new extension comprises a light-filled room with a kitchen, dining room, bathroom and laundry. Opening onto the garden, indoor-outdoor living is optimised, a response that recognises the importance of a connection to the outdoors in contemporary life, as contrasted to the closed formality of the original Victorian architecture.

Both the garden, planted with agaves and cacti, and the new interior reference mid-century modernist Californian design, providing a deliberate contrast to the original. Rather than choosing to replicate the aesthetic of the original, the Bustle House pays homage to the spirit of the ‘old lady’ by embracing strength of character, with clean lines, timber and exposed brick, and unexpected curvatures creating spaces that rejoice in form, materiality and contrast.

With the simple, elegant forms of the new addition nestled behind the upright figure of the Victorian ‘old lady’, the design continues an architectural narrative that began over 100 years ago. Updating the functionality of the house to ensure it continues to be relevant into the future, FMD Architects has enabled the client to fulfil her role and responsibility as caretaker of the building for years to come.