Hillcrest Bungalow, Kew

Project At A Glance

Location: Kew, Victoria

Architect: Mim Design

Interior Designer: Mim Design

Landscape Architect: Kate Patterson Landscape Architects

Photographer: Capture Media

Project Type: Heritage Architectural Extension and Renovation with Basement

Key Features: Basement construction, circular skylight, curved off-form concrete, infinity edge pool, brickwork, European oak flooring, American oak joinery, aged brass metalwork

Completed: 2024

Project Description Hillcrest Bungalow reworks a Californian bungalow in Kew through a heritage renovation, a contemporary rear addition and a new basement level. The retained street-facing form remains dominant, with new massing drawn behind the existing roofline to preserve the established frontage and scale. To the garden, a concave rear façade shapes a sheltered threshold between inside and out, balancing solid masonry with carefully controlled openings to manage privacy, daylight and long views.

Material selection is handled with restraint and precision. European oak flooring runs through primary living zones, while stone surfaces introduce weight at key working edges and thresholds. American oak joinery is integrated as part of the architecture, with aligned reveals and tight junctions that keep rooms calm and legible. Curved elements, including benchtops and wall junctions, echo the external geometry and soften the transition between retained rooms and new spaces.

A circular skylight above the stair core becomes the organising element, drawing daylight down through the levels and clarifying movement from entry to basement. Built by TCON in collaboration with Mim Design for architecture and interiors, with landscape design by Kate Patterson Landscape Architects, delivery required staged excavation and waterproofing beneath retained fabric, alongside disciplined set-out to off-form concrete and brickwork at curved edges. The pool terrace and infinity edge were coordinated as structure above the basement, resolving as a cohesive and durable garden room.