This Home’s New Extension Is Almost Like A Puzzle Of Different Levels

by Erin Miller on
A split-level kitchen and dining room in a renovated 1930s cottage, with wood floors, built-in bench seating, stairs, and a mezzanine study. The composite photograph shows the same person using different levels of the home.

At the rear of a 1930s cottage in Melbourne, Australia, the floors don’t line up in the way you might expect. A kitchen sits below the original floor level, a study rises above it, and another working space is tucked underneath. Designed by Inbetween Architecture, the renovated home is called Escher House, after the artist M.C. Escher, whose artwork came to mind as the architects developed its unusual arrangement of spaces. But behind the playful layout is a practical solution to some difficult building restrictions.

A 1930s Cottage With Limited Room To Expand

The original English-style cottage is located in Canterbury’s heritage Hassett Estate. Its two front bedrooms and formal living and dining rooms were retained, while the rear portion was replaced to accommodate the family’s changing needs. The old house had several shortcomings, including dark, divided rooms, a cramped kitchen, a laundry accessible only from outside, and little connection between the living spaces and backyard.

The front of a 1930s English-style cottage in Melbourne, featuring cream-colored walls, red brick details, an arched entrance, a brick chimney, and a landscaped front garden.
A traditional dining room with decorative glass doors, a wood dining table, and a fireplace featuring a red brick arch. Built-in cabinets and decorative ceiling details preserve the character of the 1930s cottage.

The site also slopes toward the rear and one side, while local heritage restrictions limited the size of the extension. The owners, a family of three who had previously lived in high-density housing in Asia, wanted only as much space as they needed. By arranging the new rooms across four different levels, the architects found ways to accommodate the family’s requirements without exceeding the permitted building area.

An architectural section drawing of a 1930s cottage renovation, showing the relationship between the original house, the sloping site, and the split-level extension.

Lowering The Kitchen Created A New Way To Use The Floor

One of the most important decisions was to lower the kitchen and dining area below the floor level of the original cottage. This brought the family’s eye level closer to the backyard, improving a connection that had been largely missing from the old house. Large windows and a glass door now give the kitchen and dining area direct views of the garden.

A contemporary dining area with a wood table positioned below a raised platform that doubles as bench seating. Large wood-framed windows overlook the garden, bringing natural light into the renovated home.
An overhead view of a split-level dining area with a rectangular wood table, raised built-in seating, and large windows facing the backyard. The different floor heights create seating and walkways around the lower dining space.

Instead of ending the original floor where the extension begins, the architects continued it as a raised platform alongside the kitchen. The platform serves as a walkway to other rooms and wraps around the dining table to provide built-in seating. Drawers underneath add storage, allowing the same stretch of floor to perform several functions without requiring additional space.

A view through a modern house extension toward a sunken dining area, with a long raised wood walkway that continues into built-in bench seating. Tall cabinets provide storage beside the kitchen.
A built-in storage drawer concealed beneath raised wood bench seating beside a modern kitchen. The multifunctional platform also connects to a short staircase, making use of the changing floor levels.

A Study Above The Kitchen And A Laundry Below

At the end of the raised platform, a staircase leads to a mezzanine study overlooking the kitchen and dining area. The elevated workspace has a visual connection to the rooms below, while its position creates enough separation for a dedicated home office.

A modern kitchen with white cabinets, wood countertops, a narrow vertical tile backsplash, and a wood dining table. Steps rise beside the large garden-facing windows in this split-level home.
A bright mezzanine home office with a long built-in wood desk, blue upholstered chairs, white walls, and wood-framed windows. The elevated workspace overlooks the kitchen and dining area below.

Directly beneath the mezzanine, the architects fitted the laundry and a secondary cooking area into the lowest level of the extension. This arrangement makes use of the space below the study instead of requiring both functions to sit alongside the main kitchen. High windows bring additional daylight into the interior, with adjustable openings helping warm air escape as part of the home’s natural ventilation.

A compact mezzanine study positioned above a lower-level laundry, with white vertical railings, wood flooring, and built-in cabinets. The arrangement allows two separate functions to occupy different heights within the extension.
A compact modern laundry with white cabinets, a front-loading washing machine, utility sink, and gray floor tiles. Wood stairs connect the lower service area to the main kitchen.

A Hidden Second Kitchen Solves Another Problem

The family wanted an open kitchen with views of the backyard, but they also needed a separate area for heavy cooking. To accommodate both requirements, the architects incorporated a secondary wet kitchen into the laundry area, allowing cooking smells and mess to be contained behind doors.

A modern white kitchen with wood countertops, pale green vertical tiles, and a long open shelf. Wood stairs lead to a raised level, while a mezzanine study and lower service area make use of the space behind the kitchen.

A small pass-through cupboard links the two kitchens, allowing food and dishes to move between them without carrying everything around through the adjoining rooms. It’s an easily overlooked detail that reveals how the architects used the unusual layout to solve practical problems, not simply to create an interesting interior.

A hidden pass-through cupboard in a modern kitchen, shown open beneath a wood countertop as a bowl is passed between two cooking areas. White cabinetry and built-in storage conceal the opening when it isn't being used.
A view through a small kitchen servery connecting the main kitchen to a separate wet kitchen. The concealed opening allows food to be passed between the two spaces without leaving the cooking area.

A Contemporary Addition Behind The Original Cottage

From the backyard, the extension’s painted-brick walls and angular rooflines give it a distinctly modern appearance, while maintaining a material connection to the original brick cottage. The contrasting forms make it possible to distinguish the old and new portions of the home.

The four levels that give Escher House its name also explain how the renovation works. Each change in height creates an opportunity for another function, allowing the family to enjoy more usable space while bringing the kitchen and living areas closer to the backyard.

The rear of a renovated Melbourne cottage featuring a contemporary white painted-brick extension, large wood-framed windows, and brick steps leading into the backyard. The angular addition contrasts with the original house.
Photography by Tatjana Plitt and Peter Bennetts | Architecture & Interior Design: Inbetween Architecture – Team: Steph Richardson (Architect) and John Liu (Architect), Sam Cox