Within this 1930s Georgian-inspired home, we had to work within the original footprint due to its heritage listing. A virtually open brief was to bring it into the 21st century and make it light and airy for easy family living, while ensuring a better connection with the home’s sprawling gardens. Low ceilings and small rooms created a closed-in feeling at odds with the five-bedroom home’s generous external proportions and its setting. To open up the home, give it more gravitas and create a better indoor-outdoor connection, we stripped the interiors while largely retaining the floor plan, but increased and enlarged the openings to create a better flow between the rooms and let in more light. Where possible, the ceilings were raised, with the dining area featuring a vaulted roof, its height emphasised by an oversized pendant. Meanwhile, a new kitchen was created where the garage once stood. Architectural detailing such as panelling, cornices, skirtings and dado rails, in a slim, Shaker-like profile give the interiors more presence, but they remain a clean and crisp take on a traditional look, creating a smart juxtaposition between the traditional and Modern.