Welcome to our gallery featuring the St. Kilda House by Jost Architects.

This is an intriguing renovation project, resulting in one of the most uniquely realized homes we’ve seen lately.

The St. Kilda House began as a project aiming to completely revive a severely dilapidated 1850s cottage, a relatively massive undertaking. The old building needed to be completely rebuilt into something fresh, modern, and timelessly styled.

The brief for the renovation called for an open plan living area, incorporating dining and kitchen spaces, at the core of the home. The layout includes a rumpus room, bathroom, walk-in pantry and laundry, three bedrooms with an ensuite, and an incorporated outdoor area.

The size budget for this space was 238 square meters, a relatively modest footprint.

The renovation was accomplished by building around the backyard area in a U shape, facing north. This provided maximum natural lighting to the interior, resulting in passive light and heat throughout the home.

Materials for the new home were selected for hardiness and lack of upkeep costs, especially focused on enduring the enthusiasm and energy of young children. Still, the entire structure is clearly styled after adult sensibilities.

The striking, welcoming, and highly contemporary space is anchored by classic features, giving the home a timeless quality.

We’ve followed up our normal gallery with a selection of “before” photos to fully illustrate the radical transformation that took place.

Photography: Andrew Wuttke

Here’s a look at both the sprawling open plan layout and the tight integration with the backyard. Both of these aspects are hallmarks of the unique design of this home.

Here’s the middle section of the U-shaped structure, housing the vast living and dining room area. With swaths of white and accents of natural wood in every direction, the interior is fully cohesive.

Turning in the opposite direction, we can appreciate how the massive, full height sliding glass panels truly open up the interior to the outdoors. This makes for a blurry line between living room and backyard.

The backyard itself was made much smaller by the remodeling, but is far more useful by being connected to three major segments of the home. The large retractible glass panels create a visual and spacial connection that improves both sides.

This large bedroom features a similarly open design as seen in the kitchen and living room space. The white minimalism is spiked with bright colors here, courtesy of furniture and wall art.

Returning to the central living room area, we see the mixture of spaces sharing a single set of walls, basking in natural light. The bright natural wood accents, courtesy of furniture, shelving, and wall paneling at the far end, offer warm contrast.

The kitchen is defined by its large island and all-white coloring, with sleek hardware-less cabinetry and minimalist appliances. A small border of natural wood panels frames the space.

Moving closer to the corner, we see the rich wood paneling in closer view, marking the transition to the more private areas of the home. The living room furniture finds contrast in black leather and sharp midcentury modern style.

The rich wood paneling extends down a hall, making a clear distinction from the all-white open plan parts of the home. This wall obscures a pair of hidden doors, marked only by square handles.

The primary bedroom stands in the same minimalist style as the open plan living and dining room area. White walls stand over grey carpet and a grey toned bed, flanked by a pair of white bedside tables and metal frame pendant lights.

The primary bathroom sports a bold orange floor in high contrast with the rest of the home’s muted palette. This is complemented by a floating white vanity and walk-in shower wrapped in marble.

And now for the before photos:

Here’s a street view of the original structure, standing as it had for over 150 years. The decades were not kind to the home, as can be seen in literally every facet of its construction.

From the rear, the original home is somehow even more dilapidated looking. There’s a pronounced curve to the structure, and the materials seem to be peeling off from every angle.

With this final look at the pre-renovation interior, the scope of the project is fully revealed. This husk of a home was transformed into the modern beauty you saw above.