Escher House by Inbetween Architecture: A Layered Transformation of a Heritage Cottage

Location: Canterbury, Victoria, Australia Project Type: Residential Renovation and Extension Architect: Inbetween Architecture Year Completed: 2019 Project Area: 180 m² Photography: Tatjana Plitt, Peter Bennetts

A Sensitive Renovation in a Heritage Precinct

Nestled within the esteemed Hassett Estate in Canterbury—a heritage precinct known for its 1930s interwar architecture—Escher House by Inbetween Architecture is a masterfully layered residential renovation and addition. The project thoughtfully preserves the architectural language of the past while introducing a modern intervention that challenges traditional spatial expectations.

This 180-square-meter residence began as a modest interwar cottage. The renovation retains the integrity of the original structure by preserving two existing bedrooms and the formal living and dining areas located at the front of the home. The rear, however, transforms into a dynamic spatial sequence that includes a master bedroom suite, kitchen and meals area, bathroom, laundry, and a home office/study.

An Escher-Like Play of Levels and Light

The renovation is as much a spatial experience as it is an architectural one. The design responds to the sloping terrain and heritage overlay constraints by cleverly organizing the extension over four staggered levels. These incremental shifts create a vertical rhythm that evokes the perceptual illusions of artist M.C. Escher, lending the home its name—Escher House.

This manipulation of volume and form introduces an engaging narrative of ascent and descent, transparency and enclosure. Each level interacts in playful tension with the others, offering unexpected visual connections, light-filled voids, and functional interstitial spaces.

Fluid Indoor-Outdoor Connection and Functional Depth

At the rear of the house, the kitchen floor is intentionally lowered, enhancing the spatial relationship with the backyard and creating a seamless transition between interior and exterior. The original floor level continues through the space to form integrated banquette seating and circulation around the meals area—an innovative blend of architecture and interior design.

Above, a mezzanine study floats over the kitchen, accessed via a whimsical stair, providing a workspace that remains visually connected to family life below. Beneath it, tucked into the lowest level, is a laundry and butler’s kitchen, revealing the project’s careful attention to vertical efficiency and functional layering.

The interconnectivity of these spaces is enriched by practical features like a pass-through servery window, which links the main kitchen with the concealed butler’s pantry. The result is a home that feels deeply integrated, efficient, and alive with movement.

Heritage Contrast and Contemporary Expression

Materially, the extension adopts a palette of painted brickwork that mirrors the texture of the original cottage but is deployed in a boldly contemporary form. This strategic contrast allows the new architecture to dialogue with the old, rather than mimic it. The outcome is a compelling juxtaposition that highlights the evolution of the home while paying homage to its historical context.

Although the architectural languages diverge—one rooted in the English domestic vernacular and the other in a modernist idiom—the components rest in harmony, unified by scale, proportion, and a shared respect for the site.

A Modern Heritage Home for Contemporary Living

Escher House stands as a thoughtful example of heritage residential renovation that prioritizes both design innovation and contextual sensitivity. It’s a home that doesn’t just respond to its site—it transforms it, unlocking the latent potential of a sloped block through spatial ingenuity.