Renato D'Ettorre Architects Turns Australian Office Building Into Italian-Inspired Villa

Australian architecture firm Renato D’Ettorre Architects has transformed a building formerly used as an office block in the Sydney suburb of Surrey Hills into a villa-style home perfect for a growing family. When designing the building — suitably named the “Italianate House” — the architecture firm added a range of new features, including a renovated building that is now a double-height living space giving views of the courtyard.

The house’s interior is designed in a minimal way, with stand-out features including the herringbone wood floor, brass kitchen cabinets and a set of perforated metal steps. The Italian villa influence is referenced in the use of exposed brick throughout the building, which the architects describe as a nod to the “mellow, soft patina” used in traditional houses in Tuscany or Sicily. Take a look around the villa in the gallery above.

For more incredible architecture, check out Houston’s Glassell School of Art.