1 Linden Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057

Dear new owner of 1 Linden St.

Asha, Safi and I would like to tell you a few little things about your new home that you wont hear from an agent.

We purchased this early 1900's Victorian workers cottage almost 20 years ago. It was built as one in a row of homes that housed people predominantly employed in the Brunswick rag trade. Our immediate original neighbour at the time, Dot, had lived there for nearly 70 years, and her husband was one such factory worker.

Both being architects, Asha and I recognised this properties amazing access to light that could never by built out on three sides. This, combined with the significant width and lane way side connection made the property a perfect selection for our first home.

Over many years we have renovated this cottage to create a contemporary architectural home that retains its heritage narrative. This home gave us as young architects an opportunity to invest all our energy in a product that we could benefit from every day. This, combined with us personally constructing most of the home means we have a deep emotional connection to the property.

There were many influences on the design of this home. Initially, it was conceived at a time when Asha and I were taking yearly trips to Japan to absorb their mastery of light, materiality and social spaces. As it evolved and we came to complete the interiors, we incorporated elements from our extensive hospitality design experience.

There are many aspects of this home that are worth mentioning, and you will discover them over time, but to introduce a few:

• The exterior is clad with a recycled resawn oregon rain screen cladding, salvaged from a 150 year old warehouse in Surrey Hills Sydney.
• There are numerous significant pieces of Cypress and Tasmanian Celery top pine parquetry we acquired at auction
• A textured hand worked plaster finish lines the dining space and captures the light beautifully in a variety of ways throughout the year.
• The house has a careful balance of thermal mass and ventilation allowing it to function thermally very well. The beautifully burnished slab is fantastic in performing this role, and its finish just keeps getting better with age.
• The garden has been a particular passion of ours. We have collected a selection of unusual and quite rare plants as feature pieces that can be experiences from many parts of the house. These have now reached significant maturity and engulf the house with greenery throughout the year.

Asha and I firstly enjoyed this house with our dog Fern, who was brought into this home 16 years ago and she lived her entire life here passing away recently. 6 Years ago our Son Safi was brought into the house and we have found this the perfect home to have a child in. With a variety of spaces to escape, whilst also allowing the family to be connected, the house is a perfect family home.

It has been important to us to create this home as a healthy, sustainable place to bring up a child. The garden has always been organic under own ownership, the house performs very well passively, there is a close connection to plants, the home has been built from low VOC and sustainably sources materials, and the home is flooded with natural light, never needing a light on during the day.

The greatest part of this property that wont be immediately apparent is the community in which we live. Our street has members from the age of 1 to 80, and we are all very close. There are regular street events, and a huge amount of support when needed. Our street is the envy of many of our friends, and so much so that whilst we as a family are leaving No.1, because of our community, we are only moving a little way down the street.

Whilst it is always hard to leave a home you love, we feel it is time for us to take on a new architectural exploration for ourselves. We truly hope someone takes ownership of our home that will love it as much as we have, and who can appreciate the amount of time, care and passion that has gone into making this old cottage the beautiful home it is.