The Cloud House

Two things that I love… Australia and architecture. I don’t think the first requires explanation, and architecture is like art – beauty and interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. I can walk around aimlessly looking at buildings and admiring the lines, the craftsmanship, the intricate details…

Australian architecture, at least in the areas I’ve explored, tends to be much more modern than what I see sprouting up throughout Toronto. And they needn’t worry about things like snow, so steep inclines and landscaping we could never consider here don’t even bare a second thought.

A somewhat typical house in the older areas of Melbourne, Australia, likely built some time between 1950 and 1965.

This home (above) is not one I would stop and look at…if I only saw the front facade. Located in Melbourne, it is somewhat typical of a much older neighbourhood, perhaps in or around Brunswick. Most of the street would look the same; well cared for but old.

The front door seems hidden in the prior photo. Here, it stands in contrast to the white interior walls and makes a grand statement in combination with the fabulously graphic carpet and series of pendant lights.

But things start to change dramatically as soon as you open the front door and see a bold floral carpet from which most home owners would shy away. Or run in fear. Here, it works!

Architect McBride Charles Ryan respected his clients’ wishes and respected the existing streetscape – from the front. But in the back… the Cloud House!

You can see the hall and carpet through the opening of the red “box” that is the kitchen and additional storage.

At the end of the carpeted hall is the beginning of the new addition, blending the old with the new. Walking through the space, you enter a red “box” – the kitchen. It offers plenty of built-in, hidden storage.

The interior of the “Cloud” features warm wood that wraps around the room – floor, walls, and ceiling.

Beyond the kitchen, the space transforms dramatically. It is covered in warm, wooden plans that and elongate the space and lead the eye right to the amazing window that makes the Cloud House the Cloud House. The curves are dramatic and unexpected.

The view is dramatic, both from inside and out.

The addition’s exterior is far from the prim stucco of the front; it is clad in a stainless steel-like material. The north and south sides are expansive windows. The natural light is incredible!