The high ceilings and timber construction gently creaked as you walk the hallway of the existing home. However, there was an obvious change in quality from the light and airy original home to the later cluttered renovations to the rear.
Our role was to reimagine the family areas and celebrate the relationship with the rear yard. Internally, we wanted to bring back a sense of calm, order and hierarchy to the activities within the home. We needed to create spaces that were delineated for their function but allowed an awareness to the going ons of the rest of the house.
We reestablished the Kitchen as the heart of the home. The owners loved to cook and entertain, but the existing layout meant you couldn’t do both at the same time. We located the cooktop on the island, to face the audience, and contribute to the social workings of the home.
The new Living areas introduced a feature fireplace, black steel doors that stop the warm air escaping and a circular skylight to bring in much needed natural light. The back wall to the rear garden was replaced with a set of new sliding glass doors and the garden completely re-landscaped with the help of Landscape Architects Inge Jabara Landscapes.
We combined a few standout textured materials with base neutrals to keep a warm, soft palette. The owners celebrate a very active lifestyle and we discussed the need to integrate very resilient materials that could withstand active use. A terrazzo tile floor is integrated throughout the Living areas grounding the palette while adding thermal mass and insulation. To soften the noise and create warmth in the quieter areas such as bedrooms, we used a blonde timber engineered board in a herringbone pattern throughout.
We wanted to use a consistent textured timber aesthetic and integrated Blackbutt veneer joinery to match the owners bespoke master bed that they loved. Fixtures were either brass or black finished that matched detailing in the steel doors and lighting and helps to establish a consistent palette.
What made this project so successful was a good relationship with a great client that was design focussed and trusted us to do our architectural resolution of the design.
Photography: Marnie Hawson
Builder: Momentum Building Group
Landscape: Inge Jabara Landscapes
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