carterwilliamson architects lines spiegel haus with mirrors in sydney

carterwilliamson architects lines spiegel haus with mirrors in sydney
photography by brett boardman

given complete architectural freedom from the clients, carterwilliamson architects designed the ‘spiegel haus’ in sydney. the australian practice has turned a traditional victorian terraced house into a spacious three-storey, light-filled dwelling. internally the residence is comprised of a sequence of interesting spaces that have been lined with mirrors to enhance the natural light and give the bigger illusion of size within the rooms. as well as directing light into the core of the plan, the mirrors (‘speigel’ in german) capture glimpses of the trees, sky and creating unexpected shadows onto the polished concrete floors.

wanting to be prominent among a street that is lined with a mixture of housing typologies, the result is a tall brick volume featuring a steel butterfly extension with openings. throughout the internal space, timber has been prominently used, along with the wall clad in pine, grey-ironbark wood has been utilized to define the circulation. in addition to the durable materiality, the home responds to the constraints of inner-city living through strategic spatial arrangement and methods used to maximize light and space: cultivating a timeless home setting.

the mirror-lined void above spatially divides the living and dining spaces without the need for walls

mirrors line the slot void and bring light into the heart of the plan

an aim was to accommodate overlapping programs to minimize material and spatial wastage

the mirror void

the bedroom

the spatial rigor and basement buried below the watertable has left room for a backyard

the rear of the plot