Balancing Old and New: The Art of Mixing Styles in Heritage Renovations

The challenge of blending contemporary design with historic architecture is one of the most exciting aspects of heritage renovation in Melbourne. As our city's period homes evolve to meet modern living requirements, the art of mixing styles has become increasingly sophisticated, creating spaces that honour the past while embracing the future.

Launceston House Project

Key Principles of Style Integration

1. Understanding the Foundations

Before undertaking any heritage renovation that combines old and new elements, it's essential to understand where the building started in terms of the:

• original architectural style and period of the building

• property's significant heritage features and their cultural importance, if any

  local heritage overlay requirements and planning constraints.

These elements will need to be accounted for in the renovation’s final design and may even be requirements from a permit perspective.

2. Respect the Original Character

Successful heritage renovation projects begin with a deep appreciation for the existing architecture. This includes:

• Preserving significant period features, including Victorian-era ceiling roses, decorative corbels, original fireplaces, and timber fretwork.

• Understanding the original design intent, such as formal front rooms for entertaining and their distinction from private family spaces.

• Maintaining the building's historical narrative, for example, preserving servants' quarters in grand homes by sensitively repurposing them as modern utility spaces.

• Respecting the streetscape presence through maintenance of original iron lacework, front verandas, and heritage colour schemes.

• Conserving original materials, especially period-specific materials like pine floorboards, bluestone foundations or slate roofing.

3. Create Thoughtful Transitions

When you are adding extensions to your home, the intersection between old and new requires careful consideration. The most successful heritage extensions have allowed the architectural period to be clearly readable, while creating a cohesive look to the entire building. Approaches that have worked well in the past are:

• Strong contrasts between old and new: Using transitional spaces such as glazed walkways between the heritage section of the building and modern extensions provides a strong contrast between old and new sections of the building.

• Contextual updates: Rather than literal replication, extensions can take key elements from the heritage building—such as proportions, rhythms, or material colours—and reinterpret them in contemporary architectural language, such as steel-framed windows that echo original timber window proportions.

• Material innovation: Modern materials like glass, steel, or aluminium can create a clear visual separation between old and new while providing modern functionality.

Design Element Ideas

At Hindley & Co, any heritage renovation we undertake will focus on the materials selected and how we use space and light to bring about excellent design outcomes between old and new. The following are some ideas that you can consider in your restoration project.

Materials

• Using traditional materials that are reimagined, such as recycled brick laid in contemporary patterns.

• Modern materials that complement heritage elements, such as zinc cladding that weathers to complement slate roofs.

• Textural combinations created by pairing rough-hewn bluestone or other original stonework against smooth-rendered walls.

• Sustainable material choices, particularly reclaimed timber flooring, matched to the original boards.

  
  

Space and Light

• Use tall, open areas with lots of natural light to smoothly link the heritage building with the new extension.

• Strategic glazing placement to frame heritage features, such as glass walls to highlight original features like brick chimneys.

• Keeping period room proportions by matching heritage ceiling heights in new additions.

• Balance intimate heritage spaces with modern open-plan areas through sliding panels to partition spaces.

Practical Applications

Kitchens and bathrooms are usually the most challenging spaces to modernise in heritage homes and require particular attention. Hindley & Co. provides the following suggestions as useful tools to update these important practical spaces while keeping the building's heritage in play.

Kitchens

• Respect original room layouts by thoughtfully preserving butler's pantry locations while updating functionality.

• Incorporate contemporary appliances seamlessly through concealment behind period-style cabinetry.

• Use traditional materials such as marble benchtops that reference original fireplace surrounds.

• Create smooth connections by matching the original floorboard direction in new spaces.

• Maintain period details through replication of original skirting board profiles in new joinery.

Bathrooms

• Preserve original features through the maintenance of heritage windows while adding modern privacy solutions like shades that retract completely when not in use, or switchable smart glass inserts that can change from clear to opaque at the touch of a button.

• Install modern fixtures such as freestanding baths that reference traditional-styled tubs.

• Use contemporary materials through large-format porcelain tiles that echo original patterns.

• Improve space flow through concealed cisterns behind heritage-style panelling or underfloor heating beneath restored original tiles.

  
  

Future-Proofing Heritage Properties

Designing longevity into your historic renovation project ensures that you end up with a home that delivers value for money and is flexible enough to allow any future needs to be easily incorporated. The two key areas to focus on are sustainability and spatial use and design.

Sustainable Integration

Sustainability is a priority for many home projects, and heritage projects are no different. You can incorporate sustainability elements into your home in the following ways:

• Energy-efficient solutions that allow you to keep the heritage elements in place, such as internal secondary glazing behind original windows, wall insulation, or LED lighting fixtures designed to replicate period styles.

• Passive design principles incorporated into new additions, like strategically placed skylights in extensions, cross-ventilation through new openings, or thermal mass walls in new additions.

• Modern services integration that minimises impact on heritage features, such as underfloor heating systems, concealed ducted air conditioning with heritage-appropriate vents, or electrical wiring run through existing service routes.

• Sustainable material choices that complement original building materials, including reclaimed timber that matches original flooring, lime-based mortars for masonry repairs, or recycled brick for new walls that blend with existing facades.

Adaptable Design

Creating flexible spaces for evolving needs helps to create long-term suitability of your redesigned heritage home. Consider the following elements in your design:

• Multipurpose room configurations that respect original architectural features.

• Adaptable living areas that can evolve with changing family needs.

• Technology integration that remains hidden within heritage features.

• Storage solutions that maximise space while preserving period details.

• Future expansion possibilities that maintain heritage significance.

Hindley & Co have worked with several heritage properties throughout Melbourne, including Georgian, Edwardian, Spanish Mission, Art Deco, Californian Bungalows, Mid-Century Modern, and classic Modernist and Brutalist styles. We begin by auditing the home's heritage assets that need preservation, using them as inspiration for modern living design.

Some of our most recent projects showcase how heritage elements can be carried into a modern design. For example, our Northcote Hacienda project, a double-fronted Victorian heritage house, we incorporated generous curves into the extension to show contrast between the new and old design of the original Victorian home. Read more about this project here.

Our Launceston House Project was a mid-century gem that needed internal spatial redesign to accommodate modern living. Keeping the roof line and other elements ensured the preservation of the mid-century heritage. Read more about this project here.

The Heritage Renovation Balance

The art of mixing styles in heritage renovation requires a delicate balance of respect for the past and vision for the future. Success lies in understanding historical architecture and modern design, creating spaces that feel timeless and relevant.

When approached thoughtfully, integrating old and new can enhance the historical significance and modern functionality of heritage properties. Through careful consideration of materials, proportions, and design elements, heritage renovations can successfully bridge different eras, creating homes that honour their history while embracing contemporary living.

If you’re ready to get started with your own project, feel free to get in touch with the Hindley & Co team today.