“From the street, Meow House still looks like a slightly tidier version of the original house, which I love,” says Mairead Murphy, founder of Melbourne-based Maike Studio.

“It’s not a highly decorative or traditionally charming house but we wanted to just let it be the little orange house that it is … in all its frumpy, orange glory. But once you head through the front door it is an entirely different home.”

Mairead is referring to the frontage of Meow House, which is for the most part, the original front room of her client’s home. “We have taken an old structure that, with different clients, may have been demolished, and turned it into a functional and beautiful family home,” adds Mairead. “I really admire their dedication to their old house and am so pleased with what we were able to create for them.”

Aside from a strong desire to retain the character and quirkiness of the original property, Mairead’s clients had some specific requirements related to the spatial planning of the house. “Their two cats were to be seamlessly incorporated into the design without it looking like a ‘cat house’,” explains Mairead.

“One of the clients is a shift worker so we were also asked to consider a way in which he could come and go for work at odd hours without disturbing the rest of the family.” Additional requirements included providing a small, quiet workspace for the other half of the client duo and a hangout space for the couple’s almost-teenager.

The existing house presented a warren of rooms that were dark and cramped, and non-reflective of the way the family wanted to live. They also had no connection, making the house feel much smaller than it actually was…”