Designed by architect Pete Kennon of Melbourne-based studio Kennon+ for a young family of five, this four bedroom home seamlessly combines a quaint Victorian cottage with a modern, concrete extension of minimalist grace and formalist rigour. Developed in close collaboration with its owners, award-winning hairdresser Joey Scandizzo and his wife, TV personality Jane Scandizzo, the house is a direct architectural response to the couple’s lifestyle and sensibilities, reflecting Kennon’s exploration of the relationship between architecture, memory and identity.

While the meticulously refurbished Victorian building is characterised by period embellishment – on the outside, the weatherboard clad façade is adorned by ornamental cast iron lacework, with ornate marble mantelpieces, plaster cornices and ceiling roses inside – the in-situ cast concrete extension is a paradigm of minimalist design. The concrete structure imbues the extension with a sense of robustness conveying permanence and stability, but at the same time, its elemental, arched-box shape delineates the archetypal form of a house evoking a feeling of homeliness. What’s more, the repeated gabled shape echoes the architectural heritage of the  original house, harmoniously blending old and new despite the stylistic differences.