References to Le Corbusier meet bold citrus hues in Wowowa’s latest project, Wrong Champ. Photo – Derek Swalwell

Bougainvillea hues in the tiled kitchen bench and splashback conjure memories of the clients’ travels to Porto. Photo – Derek Swalwell

Wrong Champ was never going to be a ‘white box.’ The clients came to Wowowa to embrace colour, form, and volume in the renovation of their Californian bungalow. They requested high ceilings and angled walls, with plenty of space to display art and travel mementoes.

‘This was their forever home, so they went all out to make it everything they wanted, and weren’t afraid to do something unusual,’ says Zoe Diacolabrianos, senior associate at Wowowa.

The front of the existing home has remained largely intact, except for the main bathroom relocated from the centre of the plan. ‘Through the relocation of the home’s existing bathroom, we opened up a clear visual axis through the house,’ says Zoe.

A timber lined threshold marks the transition into the addition, which is punctuated by three outdoor areas. Curving walls surround these spaces, creating the illusion of the outdoors being drawn into the interiors.

The curving roofline of the addition is both a reference to Le Corbusier’s circa 1954 Ronchamp chapel, and Wowowa’s contemporary interpretation of the Arts and Crafts-inspired detailing of the existing California bungalow. Zoe explains, ‘The existing home’s solid gables, weatherboard and veranda reemerge towards the back of the site as Wrong Champ’s sweeping roofline, vertical shiplap cladding, and massive rendered chimney.’

Inspiration for the interiors was drawn from the client’s passions including avant-garde European cinema, and the ornamentation of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese architecture. ‘With such a rich palette to reference, we were able to let our imaginations go wild and knew that we could push the envelope in the spatial planning, colour, and form of the project,’ says Zoe.

Creams and greens relate to the home’s suburban context before a ‘sprawling, mezze-like range of appetising citrus and berry hues of varying intensity.’ Zoe says, ‘These unexpected colour combinations offer flavourful bites of lemon, olive and melon from every conceivable angle, changing with the sun as it traces lines through the interior.’ 

The colour palette continues outdoors through the landscape design by Straw Brothers. Crazy paving transitions into pink gravel before a planted scheme of natives, olive trees, bougainvillaea, and a longstanding lemon tree.

Like every Wowowa project, Wrong Champ is a deliciously bold home that looks good enough to eat!