Updating a heritage home formerly designed and lived in by architect Frank Cavalier, Dieppe Design has modernised Lloyd House, transitioning the 1970s-era dwelling into the modern day.

Dieppe were approached by a pair of clients who acquired the home from the Cavalier family in 2017. While the facade of the home led the couple to fall in love and eventually purchase the dwelling, the interiors were in dire need of revitalisation.

The brief required Dieppe to brighten the interiors and modernise the home without losing its original character, and to develop the space to reflect the lifestyle of the clientele, as well as showcasing the architectural nuances of Cavalier.

Comprising five bedrooms, Lloyd House has remained untouched for half a century, and it showed with the lack of light seen within the dwelling. A sunken living room, slate floors, arched doorways and a lofty timber-clad ceiling were all original features that had remained in the home.

In a bid to maximise budget and be as sustainable as possible, the existing windows and door frames were retained and refurbished. The original feature doors are now an artistic feature, and the floorplan has remained intact. The clients identified parts of the interior they wanted to maintain – namely the timber ceilings, entry and master suite – with Dieppe designing a concept that touched on the simplicity of industrial styles to dull the warmth and character down.

Much of the budget was spent on tiling, floorboards, painting and refinishing the original timbers, with custom joinery seen throughout the space taking up a fair portion of the project’s budget. The living room was refreshed through the implementation of the custom joinery, replacing slate with limestone-look tiles and making the timber ceiling a more salient feature by painting the surrounding brick in a bright shade of white.

With touches of paint to the original brick wall, window and door frames, additions of joinery, outdoor decking and landscaping plus renovations throughout, Lloyd House is now a light and airy home functioning for two adults, two children and their three dogs. The work undertaken by Dieppe Design has sought to honour the memory of Frank Cavalier, while bringing the home into the 21st century with the implementation of a number of contemporary textures and materials.