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privacy
We recently completed a new home.
Designed by myself in conjunction with the owners, it was an interesting study in renovations
The site is heavily overlooked by all the houses around it due to being the lowest site in the street. Everyone could look into the backyard and the existing house was very small - one bedroom effectively so there was nowhere to escape the streetscape and neighbours.
Paramount was to create comfortable living areas that gave northerly sunny aspect, yet reduced the opportunity for the neighbours and passers-by to look into the house.
We aimed to create a separation between the original and new sections of the house so it could become a separate section for visiting family and their kids and the new living/ kitchen/dining area and master bedroom.
The new dwelling has a beautiful ambience, with a sense of privacy that will only be enhanced by the plantings once they grow to screening height. Light, playful and open, with a spacious courtyard garden allowing interaction with the outdoors.
Open plan living with large functional spaces that interact
Courtyard garden
A rammed earth thermal wall forms a strong bond with the ground, contrasting to the lightness of the flowing decks.
The formal separation between garden and house is blurred, by the juxtaposition of the deck floating over the lawn. The subtle connection through a winding set of steps to the grove of native plants has aided the division between the site and the neighbouring houses which overlook.
Master Bedroom
Cladding in local tallowood helps to reflect the beach side tones
of the site, silvering over time to a hue seen in the endemic flora.
Rammed Earth feature wall
A quietening presence bonding the house to the site. Massive and monolithic, jutting out of the natural landscape; anchoring the house's volume akin to the surrounding dunes
Playful Joinery
A custom made double bunk bed
Light, Private Room
Key to the design was to create private spaces with framed views rather than large expanses of glass. This has allowed privacy to be retained whilst giving "picture" views throughout the house. Cross ventilation is enhanced through carefully placed, selective use of tall narrow louvres.
Dining to Kitchen view
Monolithic rammed earth wall, custom heavy timber "floating" joinery on the wall. The contrast between simple palettes enhances the connection
between dwelling and site.