Hello House Tour

Hello House is a renovation and extension of a Victorian shophouse to accommodate a family home and artist’s studio.

The modest but beautiful front rooms were refreshed and the dysfunctional old back rooms were demolished and replaced with new spaces more suitable for a 21st century life. ?۬?۬

Sitting on a corner opposite the neighbourhood hub of activity, the local café, the house embraces its mini-civic role by offering passers-by a greeting in the form of a big bright ‘Hello’ in white brickwork. The Hello wall, designed in collaboration with artist Rose Nolan, offers to start a conversation with locals while continuing the architectural story of the area’s 19^th century heritage buildings, 60s and 70s brick flats and small warehouses. The wall allows separate worlds to exist happily side by side with a cheerful public face that gives nothing away about the life behind.

Inside, the house adjusts to the needs and moods of its residents – a cosy retreat in winter or an airy pavilion in summer – all hidden from the outside world. The finishes palette is minimal and modest with ordinary materials such as plywood, brickwork and industrial trusses invested with a little extra craft to make them extraordinary.