“Living in bustling, vibrant Fitzroy, our client asked us to help her with a tree-change, without changing postcode. Her priority was to have a big veggie garden and a farmhouse, while remaining in the city,” says architect Andrew Maynard of Austin Maynard Architects. A unique response to rising city property prices, the home’s owner also wanted to be able to accommodate her son and his wife with space and privacy for all.
![Terracotta House](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell-front-640x480.jpg)
Occupying just 453 square metres of land, this inner-city ‘compound’ features a renovated heritage cottage up the front (where the owner’s son and daughter-in-law live), a communal building in the middle (with adjacent veggie garden), and the owner’s two-storey abode up the back which is affectionately referred to as Terracotta House in reference to the owner’s love of gardening.
A truly adaptable, multi-generational home, the house features a subtle mix of shared and private spaces. “It really is a multi-generational home like no other,” says Andrew. Where typically a young family looks to accommodate retired parents, in this instance it’s the owner that is helping her son and his wife live close to the city (and thus work) in a suburb that they would otherwise be unable to afford.
![Original cottage](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.066-640x960.jpg)
The original house, a timber clad Victorian workers’ cottage, faces the street – it sits at the front of the block and was renovated as part of the project. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, an open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area and the cottage exterior remains untouched to retain the street’s character.
![](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.front_-640x960.jpg)
Located in the centre of the block is a shared pavilion that features a laundry, toilet and multi-use space. This versatile building functions as a library, guest room, writer’s studio, music room and general social space. “By creating a type of village square, or what the owner jokingly calls a ‘compound,’ she and her son’s family reside individually, in separate homes, on a shared block. With enough distance and garden between each cottage they both have privacy and space, but also the reassurance of help and support close by,” says Andrew.
![Shared pavilion](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.backyard-640x960.jpg)
At the back, with an independent entry from the rear laneway, is Terracotta House. Built boundary to boundary (east/west) filling living spaces with northern light, it features a living room, kitchen and dining, bathroom and study/guest room on the first floor while there’s a main bedroom and ensuite upstairs.
![Dining room](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.dining-640x427.jpg)
![Kitchen](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.kitchen-640x427.jpg)
Inspired by the owner’s love of gardening, one of the most striking aspects of the home is its richly coloured and textured materials palette – recycled brick and terracotta tiling abounds. “Beautiful and emotive, a nod to the owner’s love for gardening, the application of terracotta tiles as a wall cladding came from exploring the possibilities of using materials in an unexpected way.”
![Terracotta House](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMA-Terracotta_House_Derek_Swalwell.036-640x960.jpg)
![Diagram](https://staging.theinteriorsaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/terracotta-house-diagram-640x527.jpg)
Photography: Derek Swalwell