“Beyond its modest, shed-like exterior, this secondary dwelling by Anna Ciliberto is both an expedient and elegant solution to small-scale living, providing its artist owner with a canvas to animate with light, life and art.”

Genevieve Lilley, Houses Magazine

House for an Artist occupies the rear of a single dwelling property in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville. The brief was to create an affordable secondary dwelling with a lot of sunlight and three bedrooms for the client and her two children. The front main house on the site is occupied by the client’s mother and grandmother, making the site home to four generations.  

The design aimed to achieve an uplifting and exciting architectural approach to urban consolidation and small footprint-living. With the Inner West Council / Marrickville Development Control Plan allowing a maximum 60m2 for secondary dwellings, the small footprint, is maximised by incorporating generously-scaled volumes and carefully sculpted light.

The site’s location below a flightpath triggered highly demanding acoustic requirements for the build. In response, double glazing and highly insulated walls provide a peaceful and thermally stable interior, creating a small sanctuary within the context of a densifying city.

Publications:
House Magazine (2022) 
Vogue Living Australia (2022)
Art Edit (2022)
Hunter & Folk (2024)

Architecture & Interiors: Ciliberto Architects
Client: Private Client
Structural Engineer: Cantilever Consulting Engineers
Builder: Kestrel Building
Photographer: Anson Smart, Ben Hosking