{"id":293177,"date":"2025-12-01T14:54:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T14:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/293177\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T14:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T14:54:16","slug":"sam-crawford-updates-waverley-house-with-multifunctional-staircase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/293177\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Crawford updates Waverley House with multifunctional staircase"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian studio Sam Crawford Architects<\/a> has renovated and extended Waverley House in Sydney<\/a>, reorganising the home<\/a> around a timber staircase<\/a> with nooks for sitting and relaxing.<\/p>\n

Sam Crawford Architects<\/a> adapted the original 1950s bungalow<\/a> for a young, growing family, aiming to create a “peaceful but playful” environment with strong connections to the surrounding landscape.<\/p>\n

\"WhiteSam Crawford Architects has renovated a 1950s bungalow called Waverley House<\/p>\n

“Our clients hoped to maintain the bones of the solid existing 1950s home and strengthen the connection with the verdant surroundings,” director Sam Crawford told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“They were looking to create a home that encouraged connection as a family and also allowed for moments of privacy, without having to do everything in one open space,” Crawford said.<\/p>\n

\"TimberA spotted gum timber staircase features at the centre of the plan<\/p>\n

A light-filled staircase made from spotted gum timber was added at the heart of the plan. The studio designed the staircase with split levels, integrating cosy nooks for reading and a mesh hammock above.<\/p>\n

Natural light and ventilation are drawn into this central space through roof periscopes<\/a>, as well as large windows looking onto the internal courtyard.<\/p>\n

\"InternalAn internal courtyard draws light into Waverley House<\/p>\n

“The stairs are much more than a place of transit \u2013 they function as the centrepiece of the home with all the spaces on all four levels revolving around the staircase,” said Crawford.<\/p>\n

“There is a utilitarian function, a physical connection, but they are also multifunctional and include a hidden pantry, multiple nooks for reading, relaxing, playing, bringing in light and generating a large void creating a sense of space,” he stated.<\/p>\n

\"ChildrenNooks and places to sit and relax were incorporated into the staircase<\/p>\n

Avoiding a fully open-plan layout, the studio introduced smaller, quieter spaces at the front of the house on the ground floor. These include a study, a living room “retreat” and a utility area.<\/p>\n

Beyond the central staircase, the studio lowered the rear ground floor in response to the gently sloping site, creating a separate level for the main living, kitchen and dining space.<\/p>\n

“The move to split and drop the rear of the home was a big part of reconnecting the house to the site \u2013 it allows easy street entry whilst also opening living areas directly onto the garden,” said Crawford.<\/p>\n

\"LivingThe rear ground floor was lowered to meet the garden<\/p>\n

Responding to a request for a strong connection to the outdoors, the living space features a large window with a deep wooden window seat overlooking\u00a0the landscaped garden.<\/p>\n

Upstairs, the first-floor extension to the bungalow has been designed to create a separation between parents’ and children’s spaces, which are split on either side of the staircase.<\/p>\n

\"KitchenTimber, terrazzo and tiles feature throughout the interior<\/p>\n

On the garden side, the parents’ spaces include the master bedroom with an ensuite finished in green terrazzo tiles. There is also a second study with a built-in timber desk.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the children’s bedrooms are located at the front of the house, leading out to a small balcony.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Staircase<\/p>\n

Figure and Studio J Jih perform “stair gymnastics” inside Boston rowhouse\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The home’s interior material palette is earth-toned, dominated by timber, tiles and terrazzo. Dark timber ceilings are contrasted with pale beeswax-finished render on the walls.<\/p>\n

“There are a variety of colours in the house, with distinct palettes in different spaces,” Sam Crawford Architects senior associate Jarad Grice told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

\"HouseA window seat opens onto Waverley House’s rear garden<\/p>\n

“As much as possible, we used colours that are intrinsic to a material, like terracotta tiles or charred timber cladding,” Grice added. “But we also used paint where appropriate.”<\/p>\n

“As the colours shift throughout each space, a similar materiality was maintained with the use of terrazzo, tile and painted surfaces,” he continued.<\/p>\n

“In the kitchen, there is a subtle but important shift in the timber finish \u2013 spotted gum is used throughout the house, aside from the kitchen cabinetry in ironbark.”<\/p>\n

\"SplitSeparate spaces were created for parents and children upstairs<\/p>\n

Waverley House’s original external walls were retained with the white “popcorn render” reinstated on the ground floor. This is contrasted with charred-timber cladding and natural timber battens on the first-floor extension.<\/p>\n

The studio explained that the high-contrast finish was designed to create a dialogue between the new and existing parts of the house.<\/p>\n

\"MainWaverley House prioritises views of the surroundings<\/p>\n

Sam Crawford Architects was founded by Sam Crawford in Sydney in 1999.<\/p>\n

Other projects by the studio recently featured on Dezeen include a red-roofed community pavilion<\/a> and a home renovation topped with a “garden oasis”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Brett Boardman<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Project credits:<\/p>\n

Architect: Sam Crawford Architects\u00a0
Builder: Build By Design
Structural engineer: Structure Consulting Engineers
Hydraulic consultant: ITM Design
Landscape consultant: TARN
Quantity surveyor: QS Plus<\/p>\n