This house is located on a prominent and restricted corner block in the harbourside suburb of Vaucluse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. It was designed for a family of five with a large extended family.
The brief included 4 bedrooms and a study, large and interconnected living spaces, pool, spa and external covered terraces. The brief challenged the architect in that it also required a Mediterranean flavour that runs the risk of very easily turning the house into a pastiche of resort type styles given it’s location in suburban Sydney and the limits imposed by the site and budget.
The site was a little over 700m2 with an existing 1920s house of little architectural merit on it. The original budget and concept required that as much of the existing house as possible be retained. So the footprint of the original building is still evident in the setout and planning. The major challenge was however to link this large house to the limited external areas and to the distant views of the harbour, while maintaining some sense of privacy and character given it is on a corner site that is highly exposed along it’s north west sides.
The house has sought through the layering of deep stone clad walls, columns and openings to the capture the light and views of the nearby harbour while also giving the occupants privacy and a sense of real enclosure in this exposed location. Subtle offsets in the plan and changes in level give a sense of individuality to each space while maintaining as essentially open plan. The sculptural use of stone and concrete dominate. With the use of recycled timbers and careful metal detailing it gives the house a sense of timelessness and permanent modernity, while satisfying the owners original intent for a Mediterranean style.
The lighting, furnishings, finishes and services were all carefully designed and chosen to reinforce and complement this raw and direct aesthetic. It has a wonderful sense of scale, light and acoustic quality that creates a unique atmosphere.
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