Terracotta House

This is precisely what happens at Terracotta House, a project by Matyas Architects in Middle Park, Melbourne. Here, the studio returned to a home they had originally designed… twenty years ago. The question, then, becomes inevitable: how do you update architecture that belongs to a specific moment in time without "rewriting" it from scratch?
The answer, in this case, was found in materiality. Not merely as cladding, but as a connecting thread: an element that binds two different eras, two sensibilities, and two ways of living.

Matyas Architects focused on visual and tactile continuity, relying on a cladding capable of bringing unity to the entire intervention. For the exterior of the new addition, SK1N tiles were chosen. They accompany the extension with measured elegance, creating a material uniformity that reconciles the home’s dual "souls." This is not a compromise between languages; it is a synthesis. The result is a coherent skin that respects the building's legacy while lending credibility to a more current design.

Inside, the home continues this dialogue through a palette that echoes the warm tones of the façade, letting them resonate across the rooms: deep burgundies, leather nuances, and wood finishes. It is a controlled echo—never literal—that strengthens the sense of coherence.

In the extension, the architectural language becomes more contemporary: sharper edges, clean lines, and volumes that open up to the light. The common spaces feel bright and airy, defining a calm and sophisticated atmosphere. Crucially, the new does not erase tradition—it frames it. And tradition, in turn, does not weigh down the new; rather, it makes it warmer and more human.