Dusk House is a minimal residence located in Sydney, Australia, designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects. Dusk House is a tranquil, elegant and quiet celebration of passing time, emotion and shadow. Once an unassuming but tired single-story residence, this house has been thoughtfully and carefully crafted into an evocative and serene family home. Dusk House embraces light and dark, play and rest, indulgence and restraint. Before it became Dusk House, this existing 1960s residence was home to the client and their two children for years before they decided to undertake a substantial renovation and the architects were engaged as the interior designer. The studio felt excited and inspired by the client’s love of art and design and sought to create new spaces which encapsulated their brief: bring warmth and light into the home and bring a sense of openness, boldness and connectivity to spaces that were otherwise convoluted and unremarkable. The client was very interested in using color and texture within the framework of a refined and elegant interior layout. The family have large gatherings but also value intimate time together, so the house needed to be flexible and both expansive and cosy at the same time. What started as a dark and cold house with little architectural merit is now a spacious yet versatile home that accommodates the changing needs of a family with teenagers. The site is nestled amongst leafy suburban blocks and presented an opportunity to use the interior spaces to create new focal points, vistas & spatial layering within the home.

Photography by Dave Wheeler