The architecture of memory.

This project began while the clients were in London, planning a renovation from afar. During their first meeting at the house, a personal correlation emerged - the client’s mother had once been Prineas’ Year 12 English teacher. It was a moment that set the tone for the entire process.

“That started a really lovely connection, which helped to foster a beautiful sense of trust throughout the project - particularly since they were living abroad the entire time during design and construction,” Prineas explains.

Originally built in the 1970s, New Line House is a Pettit and Sevitt ‘Low Line’ model - one of a series of project homes celebrated for their architectural intelligence and modest scale. In this instance, the Low Line Model was adapted to respond to the typography of the site and included a garage. It was Studio Prineas’ intervention that later redefined its structure, introducing a new upper level that remains deferential to the original form.

“These homes were originally offered in a couple of models - the Low Line and the Split Level. This was originally the Low Line, adapted to include a garage,” Prineas says. “We then added an additional level, which is why we named it New Line House.”

The home sits on Wallumettegal Country, perched above the Field of Mars - the largest nature reserve in the Ryde district. The surrounding bushland became a central influence on the project’s material and colour palette. The use of walnut is reminiscent of the home’s original era, while the green tones mirror the colours of the eucalypts in the surrounding garden.

The clients’ brief was clear: all sleeping areas upstairs, living zones below. The new level was designed to sit quietly within the existing structure, allowing the original floor plan to be reorganised for contemporary family life without erasing its character.

“The second level is set back and subservient to the original structure,” Prineas says. “That allowed us to reorganise the plan so it worked for how people live today.”

Personal history finds its way into the interiors in subtle, emotive gestures. Cushions for the home’s window seats were made from the client’s mother’s original curtains - a detail that speaks to the project’s layered sentimentality. “That was a delightful surprise for our client when she first came into the house,” Prineas says. 

It’s this balance of restraint and care that Prineas believes defines the enduring appeal of the homes of this era. They were affordable as project homes, but incredibly well considered in their architect-designed detail. “Their modesty in scale, paired with rigorous planning, is something we can still achieve today,” Prineas says.

The home also speaks to a broader shift in how people live and work - one that has made retreat-style homes increasingly viable. “With more flexible working arrangements, people can live a little further away, have more space, and more connection to bushland or the sea,” Prineas says.

Ultimately, New Line House is defined by its clarity. Structure is visible, details are purposeful, and nothing is superfluous. “The plan is rigorous,” Prineas says. “The details are not decorative for the sake of it. And that’s what makes these homes easy to adapt and beautiful to live in.”

New Line House stands as a quiet, confident example of architecture performed with care, while reinterpreted for a modern experience. Respectful of its past and attuned to its setting, undeniably designed for a life well lived.

For more information on projects by Studio Prineas, visit studioprineas.com.au.