Decent exposure

"Exposing a house to a good view in a pornographic manner, with large windows and glass balustrades, is all too common," says architect Tom Rivard. The point he makes is twofold just as you don't want maximising the view to take over the entire design, you don't want to feel as if you're living in a fishbowl.

Instead, Rivard has given this house a sense of mystery.

The original layout of the house was very traditional, with the front door facing directly onto the road, and the entrance hall leading past two bedrooms.

"As much appeal lies in what is hidden, as in what is revealed," says Rivard. "In choosing to move the door to the side of the house, we are using the view sparingly this allows visitors only a brief experience of the view before they enter the house."

After seeing another house Rivard had designed in the neighbourhood, the owners bought a tired house on the current site, and called him.

"I try and build a picture of the clients in the initial meetings. My goal is to maximise the site, not in banal real estate terms of footprint and square metres, but by making sure the house is a reflection of the owners' lives," says Rivard.

As an exercise in lateral thinking, Rivard likes to ask his clients, "What would be impossible to have here?"

The owners of this home, being keen entertainers, said, "A dinner party for 40 people." Rivard then set about making the impossible a reality.

"By opening up the dining area to the back yard, we were able to position the outdoor dining table so that it is in a separate space, but one that merges seamlessly when the occasion arises," he says.

Another key consideration was the owners' dogs two Golden Retrievers. Rivard not only made the house canine-friendly, he paid tribute to them in an unexpected way.

"A home's overall feel is determined by the material palette. The dogs have such amazing coats that I decided to incorporate similar textures and tones into the house.

"The concrete was one of the first things to be laid, but then it was covered over while the rest of the work was done. When we finally unveiled it, the dogs took to it immediately, though I think this was due to the underfloor heating, rather than the colour," he says.

A prominent feature of the house is the 7m gallery space near the front entrance. This was previously the living room, but in the old house it was a void that gave no sense of place.

The new gallery features a ceiling and walls of glass, that slide away to allow the sun, rain and the moon in, as well as making the entrance to the house light and welcoming.

"The atrium was actually inspired by a trip the couple took to Mexico. The place they stayed in had a large internal courtyard, with a retractable roof operated by a loud old motor. It was the ultimate example of bringing the outside in a very romantic notion, because you could be caught in the rain in your own house," says Rivard. "But that won't be happening here."

Story by: Trendsideas