This charming new home design in the beating heart of Darlington has been designed to reflect the cottage farmhouse era of old, with a passive solar twist.

Our client purchased a not quite heritage-listed home, circa 100 years old, with the aim of renovating the current home and restoring its most charming aspects. But.........along with its old age it has been patched up, added on to, sagged in spots & its youthful good looks have faded. After working to assess options to reinvigorate the home, it was agreed by all that we needed to start afresh.

We have kept the design in line with the traditional cottage style & kept the bits that really spoke to the client when they fell in love with the property and home. 

Sustainability is a core driver for the outcomes we strive for on our projects and the challenge of creating something new/old & blending this with Passive Solar design principles was a welcome brief.

The external of the home presents as a cottage/farmhouse style with weatherboards, roof awnings & heritage trimmings. It will sit surrounded by the existing cottage gardens & stonework. To embrace the landscape around it and provide shade & shelter the home design includes wrap-around Verandas, Porches, Pergolas, and a valley view facing Alfresco to the South of the living areas. The original entry windows & doors will still be featured on the street-facing entrance porch. A new deciduous vine-covered pergola on the North will create a street-facing informal outdoor area that will welcome the sun in Winter and provide deep shade in Summer. 

Internally the client wanted a not-so-open plan living space, with each room having its own defined purpose whilst staying in close contact with each other. North facing glazing, raking ceilings with exposed trusses & stonework features in these living areas. The entry from the porch is designed to delineate the hierarchy of public & private spaces in the home, right for the entertaining/living areas, and down the hall for the private bedroom spaces. Downstairs will host 3 good size kids' bedrooms, a kid's lounge, an office, and the public wet areas. The timber stairs are semi-open and tucked behind the fireplace leading you upstairs from the private entry.  Upstairs we have another kid's bedroom and the Master bedroom suite with a Balcony that looks off into the Helena River valley beyond thru the treetops.

"We are so pleased that we engaged Aaron to design our new family home. He has worked painstakingly to incorporate all the elements that we wanted and to design a home that is unique, full of character and charm and that perfectly suits its unique Darlington location. Aaron also used Passive Solar principles in the design to help us achieve our sustainability objectives. He has been extremely professional and a pleasure to work with. We'd recommend Aaron as a partner for your project." Peggy & Jeremy, Darlington