Old meets new in this heritage Parkside home
This Parkside home, built in 1900, has been renovated to honour tradition and features a seven-metre raked ceiling, pool, sauna and wine cellar.
Inspired by Victorian homes in London’s southwest, Lauren Muir wanted a home to make her own, where urban meets heritage.
After four years in London and seven with her husband in Sydney, Lauren and Jason Muir returned to Adelaide at the beginning of the pandemic to be close to family.
“It’s such a pleasure [after] living in Sydney for a while, and you can’t get anywhere in 20 minutes,” says Lauren, a strategy executive at Westpac.
They purchased the Parkside home in its original condition in late 2020 and started plans to extend it almost immediately. But, due to the pandemic and council delays, they weren’t able to start renovations until two years later.
“It was essentially in its original condition, and it meant that we could give it some love and make it our own,” Lauren says.
To ensure a seamless flow between old and new, the original timber floors were carried throughout the house, as well as other details such as the architraves.
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Lauren says it was also important to keep the styling cohesive between old and new and has added colour with art that further creates flow.
“The front of the house is original, and that was really important to me, to kind of honour that nod to 1900, but ensure what we did in the back complemented it, but had that modern feel,” she says.
Using The Building Company and Mavtect Designs, Lauren and Jason were able to stay within the requirements of the council – that the extension could not be visible from the street – and execute the renovations with all of their “must haves”.
“[Jason] wanted [the wine cellar] to have this feel where you could walk down there … and have the wine wrapping around,” Lauren says.
“For me, it was capturing that natural light in the living space.
“The front of the house, obviously, is a bit older … and there’s beautiful tree coverage, which means that the front of the house is darker.
“But in the back, I really wanted to capture that natural light and have it kind of spilling through.”
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As a result, the extension is a seven-metre raked ceiling and a wall of glass that not only creates a light and bright living space, but also showcases the century-old hedge that lines the backyard.
“[The hedge] was one thing that I just loved because I thought, even though it’s such an urban property, we actually can’t see any of our neighbours, and it just provides ultimate privacy,” she says.
“You just can’t build a fence that large, and the green as you’re walking down the hallway – it’s just immediately, this green wall, and it’s just stunning.”
Using Husk Projects and Evoke Outdoors for landscaping, Lauren and Jason wanted to create outdoor entertaining spaces, as well as a dedicated sauna area inspired by Sequoia Lodge.
“[Sequoia] had – it’s the same sauna that we have – but also this garden area of which, once you come out of the sauna, you could just sit and relax, and I really wanted to emulate that,” Lauren says.
“I think we absolutely did that, and it just feels like this little retreat.”
Now moving to Stirling in search of more space for their young children, Lauren will miss Parkside’s convenient location and ease of living.
“We’re so blessed in location that, as a part of our every morning, we are up and walking in the parklands, grabbing coffee from just down the road, and that kind of starts our day,” she says.
“We actually take a minute now … to set intention for the day together, and it’s a really nice anchor for our day, and wouldn’t be possible if we lived somewhere else.”
Their new, old 1920s home is in need of some TLC, and although Lauren is going to miss her “labour of love” in Parkside, she is excited for a new project.
“I couldn’t ever see myself living in a new build,” she says.
“[This home] was the first time that we’ve actually taken something that was just so beautiful and made it our own kind of beautiful.”
The sale of 9 Douglas Street, Parkside, is being handled by Georgie Todd and Alexandra Green of Harris Real Estate.
