Carthona House takes a ‘complement by contrast’ approach where the traditional qualities of Federation-style frontage are boldly counterbalanced by the striking blackened silhouette of the extension.

The original house is a heritage listed item of local significance with Mosman Council and remains the dominant form to the street, whilst the new extension is an alluring and distinctive separate element. A courtyard separates the two structures providing breathing space between the old and new.

Informed by the client's deep connection with Brazilian modernist architecture, the extension has been designed as a 'crafted lantern’. The facades open and close as breathable skins allowing for sunlight or shadows, privacy or interconnection.

Open volumes and voids allow dappled, dancing light to be cast throughout the interior, tethering the home to natural circadian rhythms and imbuing the space with a poetic quality. The principal living spaces embrace a warm and relaxed tone. Luxe and hand-crafted materials come together with expressed bagged brick walls and charred timber cladding offset by the crisp articulation of a honed marble and matte lacquered cabinetry.

The design for Carthona House centred around maximising the clients’ lifestyles, maintaining a sense of comfort, ease conducive to family life, while employing a sympathetic approach that respects the historic legacy of the house.