Heywood Ranch

Award-winning Architecture and Design practice, Das Studio’s latest project Heywood Ranch is the imaginative conversion of a double garage into a kitchen and dining space for a young family of five. The home required clever reconfiguring within its existing footprint to make space for an additional bedroom, study, discreet wet area, and maximum storage.

A 70’s ranch-style home prominently located on a corner block in the laid-back seaside suburb of West Beach. Constructed around the time of the area’s original subdivision, the home’s floorplan, a mirrored twin of a neighbouring modernist display home, took little account of the site’s orientation and views. The width of the site, undoubtedly one of its best features, allows the dwelling to maximise north-facing views to the generous Pleasentville-esque boulevard of well-tendered lawns and friendly passersby, unfortunately these views and sunny orientation were prioritised mainly to the bedrooms, with the garage being the space that received the most spectacular sunlight on a clear winter’s day.

The kitchen features a stunning blend of materials, including bluestone flooring and an island adorned with Fibonacci The Graduate terrazzo slabs. Atop the island sits a striking Mirage Lake Quartzite bench, harmonising effortlessly with the bluestone-crazy paved floor. The Graduate terrazzo exudes a comforting nostalgia and natural charm, with fractured fragments in hues of shale, grey, and brown intricately fused into a mid-grey base, paying homage to mid-20th-century modernism. This considered blend of materials not only complements one another but also accentuates their individual strengths, collectively elevating the entire design to new heights.