Smart Design Turns This Heritage Cottage into an Eco-Friendly Modern Home

There are plenty of occasions when we have seen a dreary heritage home being transformed into a stylish contemporary residence that retains the charm of the original construction. But it is rare to find one of these classic homes being altered into a modern house that is also energy-savvy and planet-friendly. Revamped and extended by Tziallas Omeara Architecture Studio, the Bundaroo House in Bowral, Australia is one such rare gem that utilizes green technology and smart design to alter its existing ambiance and effectively become a zero-energy home!

Modern rear extension of classic home in Bowral

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As is the case with many of these traditional, heritage homes, the homeowners of the Bundaroo House wanted to keep the street façade of the residence intact, and it is the rear addition and extension that brings an air of freshness and modernity. The new addition contains within it a kitchen that becomes the ‘social zone’ of the house, along with the dining room and the living area. A series of sliding glass doors connect the home with the central courtyard and the rear pool retreat that also contains a spacious wooden deck, barbecue zone and outdoor dining space.

Entrance to the living room of the renovated Aussie home

Three-sided fireplace in the living room also illuminates the kitchen

Coffee table draped in stars and stripes

Dining room and kitchen with sliding glass doors and weatherboard backdrop

Marble kitchen island with pendant lighting above it

White drapes combined with sliding doors to switch between privacy and lovely views

Black kitchen cabinets and white marble island present a contrasting picture

Standalone bathtub and chandelier for the contemporary bath

Coming to the green credentials of the house, it is passive heating and cooling technology coupled with top-notch insulation that ensure the temperature inside the home remains more or less constant during both the summer and winter months. With 35kW of solar panels providing more power than consumed by the household, this Aussie home ends up keeping its carbon footprint down to an absolute minimum! [Photography: Tom Ferguson]