Clifton Hill House by Murray Barker Architects

Born Directly From The Brief, As Murray Describes, “the Goal Was To Replace The Existing Small Backyard Bungalow With A Two Level, Two Bedro

Clifton Hill House is the story of client Fleur Glenn, and how a lifetime of curious admiration for the humble tree house and a need to downsize as her family flew the proverbial nest came together in a unique design by Murray Barker of Murray Barker Architects.

Having lived on the site for over twenty years, Fleur had seen her family embrace its geographical location and community of Clifton Hill and inevitably become immersed in its residential and cultural fabric. Watching as that same family slowly left the core home, and coming to the realisation that a smaller footprint was the logical next step for her, conversations with architect Murray Barker emerged. Tasked with utilising the unused end of the existing large narrow block, Murray Barker, founding director of Murray Barker Architects says, “The resulting home ended up being quite quirky and disjointed in terms of how it is perceived from different aspects” but ultimately it “allows for different ways of occupying between generations, guests or boarders on a single site.”

Watching As That Same Family Slowly Left The Core Home

Murray Barker says, “The resulting home ended up being quite quirky and disjointed in terms of how it is perceived from different aspects.”

Interview Feature Clifton Hill House, Murray Barker Architects

“The resulting home ended up being quite quirky and disjointed in terms of how it is perceived from different aspects.”

And How A Lifetime Of Curious Admiration For The Humble Tree House And A Need To Downsize As Her Family Flew The Proverbial Nest Came Togeth

Tasked With Utilising The Unused End Of The Existing Large Narrow Block, Murray Barker, Founding Director Of Murray Barker Architects Says

Having lived on the site for over twenty years, Fleur had seen her family embrace its geographical location and community of Clifton Hill and inevitably become immersed in its residential and cultural fabric.

Born directly from the brief, as Murray describes, “the goal was to replace the existing small backyard bungalow with a two-level, two-bedroom home of modest size.” Clifton Hill House, he adds, “was designed to take advantage of the views to the south-facing garden under the large existing trees.” Driven by a connection to place, and a sense of identity formed over decades, Fleur’s inspiration was found in the very thing her ideal dream home was to sit under – the mature native gums on site, and from there the idea of the ‘tree house’ became the muse. There is an inherent familiarity in feeling secure in such a small, fuss-free dwelling, a sense of appropriate scale, warmth in materiality and a sense of lightness. All of these elements then needed to be captured in the resulting design.

But Ultimately It “allows For Different Ways Of Occupying Between Generations, Guests Or Boarders On A Single Site

Born directly from the brief, as Murray describes, “The goal was to replace the existing small backyard bungalow with a two-level, two-bedroom home of modest size.”

Clifton Hill House, He Adds, “was Designed To Take Advantage Of The Views To The South Facing Garden Under The Large Existing Trees.

“The goal was to replace the existing small backyard bungalow with a two-level, two-bedroom home of modest size.”

A Project Deeply Inspired By Client Fleur Glenn’s Lifetime Of Connection To The Site And Her Community.

Fleur’s inspiration was found in the very thing her ideal dream home was to sit under – the mature native gums on site, and from there the ‘tree house’ became the muse.

Set Among The Mature Gums, The Clifton Hill House Is A Project Deeply Inspired By Client Fleur Glenn’s Lifetime Of Connection To The Site An

Murray says, “the challenge was to take these ideas but still make sense of them in the context of Clifton Hill.” He adds, “our site was positioned between four street-facing Victorian terrace houses, and the long side elevation of the main house hard-up against the street, and this in-between condition brought up a dilemma of orientation and address on the corner site.” Although purposefully small, it was important to avoid being dwarfed by the existing period homes on either side.

Equally as important was the need to remain a part of the community, so the presence of Clifton Hill House also had to be felt within the neighbouring context. Murray says, “in a way there was no real ‘front’ to the home, so the house has these competing dual aspects along the street front, with material changes on each façade,” as a means to help accentuate that presence.

Driven By A Connection To Place, And A Sense Of Identity Formed Over Decades

Murray says, “in a way there was no real 'front' to the home, so the house has these competing dual aspects along the street front, with material changes on each façade,” as a means to help accentuate that presence.

And From There The Idea Of The ‘tree House’ Became The Muse

Fleur’s Inspiration Was Found In The Very Thing Her Ideal Dream Home Was To Sit Under – The Mature Native Gums On Site

Inspiring the form and its lightness on site, the tree house muses also the materiality and resulting palette.

A combined effort, Clifton Hill House is the coming together of like-minded purveyors of detail and craft. Built by Sanctum Homes and with landscape design by Bush Projects, due to the nature of the history of the site and its client, due respect needed to be given. Inspiring the form and its lightness on site, the tree house muse is also felt the materiality and resulting palette.

Describing the external approach, Murray says that “the front street facing corner is white and weatherboard and corrugated iron in relation to the neighbouring buildings, which is a play on the gable forms of the neighbourhood.” He adds, “the south side is black-stained timber, and relates to the form which developed out of the irregular plan, affected by the tree locations.” Internally, timber and plasterboard are used “to define the atmosphere of various zones, where white spaces feel like refuges within the woody interior and highlight the play of natural light and geometry of the rooms.”

And Coming To The Realisation That A Smaller Footprint Was The Logical Next Step For Her, Conversations With Architect Murray Barker Emerged

A House For Fleur Clifton Hill House By Murray Barker Architects

“The challenge was to take these ideas but still make sense of them in the context of Clifton Hill.”

Having Lived On The Site For Over Twenty Years, Fleur Had Seen Her Family Embrace Its Geographical Location And Community Of Clifton Hill An

Internally, timber and plasterboard are used “to define the atmosphere of various zones, where white spaces feel like refuges within the woody interior and highlight the play of natural light and geometry of the rooms.”

The Resulting Home Ended Up Being Quite Quirky And Disjointed In Terms Of How It Is Perceived From Different Aspects

On Tlp Today, We Speak With Murray Barker, Founding Director Of Murray Barker Architects, About The Clifton Hill House

Set Among The Mature Gums That Have Long Stood On The Block, The Collaboration Between Client And Architect Led To A Small Two Level, Two Be

A home for Fleur, as a reflection of the story of Fleur, Clifton Hill House is a quaint and considered approach to downsizing.

Clifton Hill House Is The Story Of Client Fleur Glenn

A home for Fleur, as a reflection of the story of Fleur, Clifton Hill House exemplifies a quaint and considered approach to downsizing. Maintaining a connection to site, community and one’s own history, as Murray says, “the project achieves the goal sensitively, within a heritage context and without the removal of the significant cluster of mature native trees.” This approach to site, combined with the inquisitive ambitions of his client provide both a commentary on and alternate approach to designing for increased density living.