House Gretchen

Collaborator

Lintel Studio

Scope

Alterations and Additions

Completed

2025

Designed by Lintel Studio, House Gretchen is a playful reimaging of a dilapidated Newtown terrace in Sydney’s Inner West. ⁠

⁠Meticulous heritage restoration has preserved the original street frontage, with coloured tiles hinting to the charming, contemporary addition tucked behind. ⁠We have completely removed all previous additions, now opening the rear to a stepping concrete garden and resituated internal courtyard. ⁠

The home is orchestrated around a central cube that offers entertainment, storage, and a generous kitchen and bar from three of its faces. A pivoting door on the fourth face conceals a walk-in laundry room, lit naturally from above by whimsical skylight openings set into a concave ceiling.

⁠The characterful, multi-purpose heart of the home reserves bright and leafy aspects to the yard and relocated internal courtyard, inviting occupants to enjoy moments of relaxation apart yet also share memories and living spaces warmly together.

Passive environmental principles are embedded throughout the project, informing decisions at every scale. Enhanced thermal performance, low-VOC paints and natural finishes were selected to support the long-term wellbeing of the occupants and building itself. House Gretchen demonstrates how material reuse and passive sustainability can be seamlessly integrated within a dense, inner-city context with charm and personality.