Gretchen is a careful experiment in reimagining the long-and-narrow terrace house typology employed in areas of dense habitation. Periodic rear extensions to the home (iconic of their varying timestamps) created a tunnel-like effect across the site, leaving dark and damp areas for living, eating, bathing, and resting. While the original heritage frontage was retained and restored – the proportions of the master and second bedroom tactfully modified to unlock their promotion of spacious and comfortable retreat – the dilapidated and ad hoc add-ons were cleared to make way for a new approach to inner-city housing.
Far from an open-plan solution, House Gretchen is orchestrated around a central cube that offers entertainment, storage, and a generous kitchen and bar from three of its faces. A pivoting door affixed to the fourth conceals a walk-in laundry room, lit naturally from above by whimsical skylight openings set into a concave ceiling. The visionary approach puts the belly of the home to good use, while reserving bright and leafy aspects to the yard and internal garden for living and dining on opposite ends of the contemporary volume. Gretchen’s occupants are invited to enjoy private moments of relaxation apart, without being required to close down the house.
