Cloud House is a house extension in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, by architects McBride Charles Ryan, completed in 2012 as a cloud-shaped addition to a double-fronted Edwardian home. It is a finished house rather than a concept, and its cloud-shaped dining room is the part people remember.
| Detail | Cloud House |
|---|---|
| Architect | McBride Charles Ryan |
| Location | Fitzroy North, Melbourne, Australia |
| Completed | 2012 |
| Original house | Double-fronted Edwardian, nearly 100 years old |
| Addition | Cloud-shaped living and dining space with a vaulted wood-finished ceiling |
| Kitchen | Red box linking the old house to the cloud |
What is Cloud House?
When people need more space, many extend their existing house instead of building a new one. Cloud House does that and finds complementary elements between old and new. When McBride Charles Ryan was asked to build an addition to a double-fronted Edwardian house in Fitzroy North, the architects came up with a cloud-shaped house.
The conversion uses the potential of the existing building by demolishing little, refurbishing the existing rooms, replacing the kitchen and adding a new living room. The front of the house still looks much as it did originally.
How is the house organized?
The design is in three parts, which creates a sequence of distinct and unexpected episodes, with glimpses previewing the spaces ahead. The spaces within the original structure are largely white, united by a bright carpet that tells the visitor this is no ordinary house.
The kitchen is contained in a new red ‘box’. It bridges into the new living space, and the lap pool is just meters away. The two principal challenges were maintaining the purity of the form and resolving the sequence between the three distinct spatial qualities.
What is the cloud room like?
The new living addition faces due south while allowing controlled north sun into the living area and effective cross ventilation. The final space follows the form of a child-like impression of a cloud, a playful room where family and friends can eat and have fun. The walls run straight into the ceiling and floor.
Keep reading
- Creative house designs: more unusual homes in the same spirit
FAQ
Who designed Cloud House?
McBride Charles Ryan, an architecture firm based in Melbourne.
Where is Cloud House?
In Fitzroy North, Melbourne, Australia.
When was Cloud House completed?
In 2012, according to coverage published in June of that year.
Is Cloud House a new build?
No. It is an addition to a nearly 100-year-old double-fronted Edwardian house, with little demolition.
Why is the extension shaped like a cloud?
The architects followed a child-like impression of a cloud to create a playful dining and living room where walls merge with ceiling and floor.
Last updated: October 2026.
