Cerise Residence | FMD Architects

Retaining the existing building footprint was a key consideration for both economic and philosophical reasons. Building expansion was not an essential requirement and outdoor areas were already limited.

New elements were layered over the existing structure, deferring to the building’s history while expressing its new resident’s needs through their distinct formal expression. The faceted and curved profiles of this new insertion attempt to negotiate between alignments of the old with the new.

Colour was embraced in the design approach, its relationship to the client’s artwork was an important consideration. The walls were left white, while the floor became a multicoloured canvas in its own right. A tapestry of colour was developed, weaving and interconnecting adjacent spaces. Intersecting joinery and walls were also affected and saturated in the floor colour, extending the tapestry into three dimensions. Mirrored ceilings in the stairwell convert the spatial framework into a kaleidoscopic labyrinth up to the new attic.

The design of the period residence orientates the spaces inward and upward into the kaleidoscope, while the eastern lean-to is reworked to stretch itself toward the light. The resulting renovation offers a dynamic array of spaces for the family to suit their varying needs, while paying homage to its heritage.