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Modern Heritage Matters (MHM) has been
established to provide up-to-date information
and advice to owners, developers, managers
and lovers of old buildings. We are a boutique
heritage consulting firm, a cost-effective
alternative providing heritage impact statements,
conservation management plans, house histories,
renovation records, design advice and more...
Find out more about our fresh and modern
approach to everything heritage.
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MHM's Recent Design Projects

Federation Details Reinstated

A lovely Federation home had become tired with many of its feature stripped away. Our client couple wished to bring it back to its former beauty. We had a wonderful time working through the appropriate designs for the reinstatement of the tessellated tile verandah and the lead-light door panels. A sandstone footpath was relaid, the […]

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Quarry Master’s Cottage c1915

Historically and socially significant to its area, this stone cottage is nestled in its garden setting, evocative of the quarry that it once inhabited. The original part of the house is built with sandstone, most likely quarried within the vicinity. In addition, its form and materials, although surrounded by later additions, reflect a way of […]

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High Glamour Entertaining

This was a classic rumpus-to-bar makeover. Using the language and materials of the contemporary home, we raised the glamour with plenty of gorgeous marble with shadow line details. The bar includes a drop-in ice bucket and a (almost invisible) lockable glass front – to keep that top shelf safe. We designed joinery for the tv […]

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The final touches to Victorian Italianate Perfection

This family house is grand and had been renovated to a very high standard. With a desire to transform a little used space into a cellar and entertaining area, we were brought in to advise on the restraints that the local listing might demand, to provide a design to accommodate those parameters, and lay the […]

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Transforming an urban terrace by light touch

This large Victorian Italianate terrace house in a conservation area was ready for a restoration to revive its many original features and enhance its functionality for a busy family. With clients who’s professional lives required as little disturbance as possible, this project was an exercise in preparation, speed and tight scheduling. Our approach to the […]

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New Brutalism on Croatian Coast

Our second project with this fabulous couple. Croatia proved the perfect backdrop for a Brutalist inspired home to emerge out of the rugged coast. We were engaged to work alongside the client as they developed the design with their Croatian architect, creating a comprehensive look throughout. The aim was to highlight the location, its natural […]

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Victorian Boom Style

This locally listed, mid-Victorian Italianate mansion had been built on a grand scale to showcase its timber merchant owner’s success. Broken into flats in the early 20th Century, it never really recovered until the current family made it their labour of love. The job has been done in stages over several years. Our involvement included […]

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Villa in the Classic Style

This home had once been two town houses and was consolidated into one to create a long, open-plan interior and generous terrace. It was north facing and light filled. The brief was to define the spaces, focusing on a large family kitchen with new laundry and pantry rooms; consolidate its personality, as well as bring […]

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Inner City Warehouse

The setting for this makeover was a development that had repurposed and melded two heritage listed buildings, a Victorian warehouse and the Bauhaus style Demco Machinery Co Ltd factory built in 1937, into apartments. The clients asked for increased functionality and a bit more of a grown-up vibe. We balanced the dual requests for an […]

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Early Federation Garden Apartment

Our client couple required a reworking of their collection of Asian and European furniture and a considerable art collection in a Federation garden maisonette setting. Once we had arranged repairs to the lead light window and tessellated flooring, we focus on settling the furniture into the house by layering it with patterned wallpapers and fabrics. […]

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In the News

Excellent Treasurer, appalling architect’: Stokes rejects Perrottet’s bid to bulldoze power station

22 November, 2020

The White Bay Power Station is a wonderful site for adaptive re-use. Full stop. We need to stop the NSW government pulling down state listed heritage items using excuses such as "its ugly", "there is asbestos", "we need to create Read More

MHM Loves

Click on the pictures below to find out more
about our most recent discoveries or go to
our MHM Loves page.