After nearly one decade of additions and renovations, it seems the Cloud House in Melbourne has finally reached its happy zenith. After passing through the conventional Edwardian threshold, visitors are greeted by a rather bold floral carpet that livens up white interior walls. Further on, they’ll find a floating red box in the center of the house, which is actually the new kitchen.
Beyond that, the home spills out into a series of wooden slats that are laid to make the floors, walls and ceiling virtually indistinguishable from one another, giving it just the right fluidity necessary to pull off the unusual cloud-shaped living area. Extending right out into the outdoors and permitting just enough northern sun to let in light without too much solar gain and facilitating cross-ventilation, this south-facing extrusion turns a dour relic into a playful home that is great for socializing.
+ McBride Charles Ryan
Via Contemporist
photography by John Gollings
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McBride Charles Ryan has completely overhauled the interior of an old Edwardian home in Melbourne, Australia to look like a gigantic fluffy cloud! Leaving the staid facade alone out of deference to the historic character of Fitzroy North, the designers gutted the interior and reshaped it into a playful cloud-shaped extrusion that leads outdoors. Due to its expansive form and smart orientation, the Cloud House is filled with natural light and breathes easily too.
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McBride Charles Ryan gutted the interior of an old Edwardian home in Melbourne, Australia
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While the staid facade has been left alone, the interior has been transformed into a playful contemporary home
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Detailed view of the cloud extrusion
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The south-facing living area receives plenty of natural light
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The floating red box in the middle of the home is a new kitchen
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This space acts as a bridge between the older and newer parts of the home
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The kitchen is like a portal between epochs
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This is the old facade, which completely disguises any of the crazy renovations at the other side of the home!