ADELAIDE RESIDENCE

Continuing a long-standing lineage, Adelaide Residence by Williams Burton Leopardi is the story of an evolved relationship with place.

As both a renovation and repurposing, the resulting home is the return to base principles of what it is that comprises ‘home’ and the individual experience of retreat.

In a previous life, the property formed the surgical consulting rooms for its owner and was utilised as a commercial place of business and healing. While the intended plan was for both its owners to downsize from their larger residence, life had other plans, and saw just one owner return. A reflective and emotional process of transition allowed a unique opportunity to conjure a home suited to one, while imbedding memories and surrounding him with nods of nostalgia.

The resulting home echoes the quiet and calm demeanour of its owner, deliberately discreet and expanded through a modest lens. Sentiment is integrated throughout, with a focus on diffused light and a muted neutral palette. A thin slither allows natural light into the connecting corridor, while the natural retreat of the built form from the boundary encourages light in from all directions. Bookmarking the home sees the repurposing of the rear stable structure into its own bespoke wine storage and entertaining area. While the formality of the original front rooms is retained, the rear is opened to create a connected place for the family to gather, without feeling overwhelming for one.