Wallace Residence

Set in Mount Ousley with glimpses of the Illawarra coast beyond the treetops, the Wallace Residence is a 1960s home that has been reimagined rather than replaced. Hands Studio and builder A Class Building kept the character of the original architecture and softened it with a clean, warm palette that sits comfortably between traditional and contemporary. Across the new kitchen, our Flow Bow Handle in Natural Brass adds a gentle, glowing curve to every door and drawer. The project has also been entered in the Illawarra Festival of Architecture and Design (IFAD) awards.

Embracing The Original Bones

The existing home was anything but conventional, with angled walls, a sweeping curved staircase and decorative etched glass motifs. Rather than straightening, hiding or removing those quirks, the redesign embraced them with a softer glam that suited the owners far better than the original finishes. What began unexpectedly after a burst water pipe flooded the upper level became a chance to celebrate an unusual home, keeping its bones while completely rethinking how a modern family lives, gathers and entertains.

A Kitchen Made For Gathering

The irregular geometry of the house shaped the kitchen and living spaces, calling for considered joinery and careful circulation. The result feels open, resolved and inviting: soft shaker style cabinetry, a pale veined stone benchtop with a tall splashback, and Brodware tapware in a warm brass tone, framed by linen blinds. It is comfortable for everyday life as a family of four, yet ready to open up when the extended family and friends arrive. Beyond the dining table, large picture windows frame views across the Illawarra, and the palette stays calm so the changing light, blooming landscape and distant ocean can take centre stage.

Flow Bow Handle, Natural Brass

Natural Brass was chosen to sit alongside the brass tapware, with the Flow Bow Handle's soft, flowing curve repeated across the joinery. Paired vertically on the tall cabinet doors and laid horizontally along the drawers, it adds a graceful rhythm to the soft white cabinetry, while its warm tone picks up on the tapware, the lighting and the deep Havwoods herringbone flooring. Hardworking where it counts, and quietly beautiful the rest of the time.

A home that proves the best renovations keep their character and simply gain a little glow.

Photography by Life in Still
Building and Interior design by Hands Studio