A SERIES OF INTERVENTIONS
CASE STUDY: VICTORIAN MODERN
The Victorian Modern project is one of Brazil Associates’ most interesting architectural interventions thanks to its series of interlinked extensions and simultaneous refurbishment of a handsome Victorian villa in South County Dublin. The site benefits from beautiful mature gardens, secluding it from view.
Our clients purchased the property with the aim of restoring the villa and renovating it to accommodate modern family life.
The house was built around 1900 and although it is not a protected structure, its site and vicinity are within a candidate Architectural Conservation Area and so conservation best practices were sought.
The original house had been in continuous use and benefitted from it, however later additions to the rear of property were in poor condition and did not meet the requirements of the new owners.
BEFORE: A late Victorian detached villa (above), built between 1878-1900 with later additions at the rear & side (below) with roof tile and carved timber bargeboard mimicking the original house’s features.
The brief was to reconsider how to best extend the property to create a suite of family and private spaces, while renovating the period home and highlighting its decorative Victorian elements.
Unlike the previous additions to the home, Brazil Associates sought to create extensions that worked with the original house but were clearly contemporary in style.
Namely, these extensions would have to accommodate for a new open plan kitchen & dining area, a games/cinema room, a utility, boot room, rear entrance, plant room and first floor extension for two bedrooms with en-suites.
Older extensions to be removed shown above, replaced by series of contemporary extensions (below) designed by Brazil Associates.
All drawings property of Brazil Associates. Copyright 2023.
The South and West elevations of the property undergo radical change with our inter-linking extensions, seen above, on one side of the property, and a contemporary interpretation of an orangery on the other.
AFTER: The bold, modern nature of the extensions (seen above) serve to contrast the delicate period details of the original house.
Brazil Associates devised a cleverly restrained palette dictated by the original brick-and-render façade and the tones of the contrasting roof tiles. The red brick chimney stacks and terracotta ridge tiles are offset by the crisp colour of lime render, while the new glazing ties in with the inky blue-grey tones of the roof tiles. These materials and tones are echoed in the finishes of the new extensions.
The South elevation of the house features the staggered rendered extensions containing the kitchen-dining spaces, finished in raw concrete internally.
Prior to achieving this beautiful finished product, Brazil Associates worked closely with the client and the interiors team at Studio Brazil to design an internal layout that would fit their lifestyle needs.
The traditional layout of the original house was preserved, leaving the three formal rooms on the ground floor with the master bedroom and en-suite above.
The formal rooms on the Southwest-facing wing of the house became a study and family room to take advantage of the light, while the North-facing wing provided a guest bedroom suite.
The front reception room on the West wing is a midnight-blue panelled study which connects to amodern interpretation of an orangery, the first of the three extensions.
The crittal doors, ink-grey windows and zinc roof contrast against the original house while retaining a classical form. A fired clay ceramic tile was sourced by Studio Brazil for this inside-outside space, while the exterior paving is finished in a granite suited to a Victorian villa.
Studio Brazil collaborated with Brazil Associates on these hard finishes and joinery design, while Kingston Lafferty Design was appointed to select furnishings and lighting.
Above, view from the study towards the orangery on the South-facing wing of the house.
Below, secluded family room in one of the formal rooms. All loose furniture & lighting by Kingston Lafferty Design.
Continuing through the house towards the rear, the study connects to the last room of the original house, a family room, with secret doors behind panelling. Another secret door leads from the family room into the house’s pièce de résistance, a dramatic raw concrete kitchen-dining extension.
Above, view upon entering of the concrete kitchen-dining space and its glass connection to the larger red-brick two-storey extension.
The exposed raw concrete and the dark, almost monolithic feel of the contemporary kitchen by Porter & Jones, serve as the ultimate contrast to the delicate lime-and-red brick presence of the original house. The leather finish stone countertop by Miller Brothers adds to the more masculine feel of this space.
With these details, the house takes on a whole other presence, itself a representation of the family’s unique sense of style. The long, narrow roof light draws you in towards the dining space with its exaggerated height ceilings, accentuated by stained timber slats.
Above, the concrete dining extension at the Southeast corner of the house.
Below, images of the house in progress, stripping paint to discover the brick detailing as the concrete extension takes form.
The larger red-brick extension occupies two stories and serves as the services wing of the house, with two entrances at the side to access the boot room, utility room and dog area. It connects to to the main house with a two-storey zinc clad porch.
The opposite corner of the extension includes a secluded cinema room that takes advantage of the easterly orientation. Upstairs, the first floor extension allows for more bedrooms for the family and guests.
The East elevation of the house with large dark, framed windows and the final extension clad in elegant, slim bricks sourced in Belgium.
The Victorian Modern project was a veritable reimagining of what this house could be. The extensions create a whole new house, while honoring the architectural integrity of the original villa and elevating its features.
The landscaping and exterior finishes all tie in together to create a cohesive, yet striking facade.
