Into the blue

When we hear a property is being updated for a contemporary lifestyle, we tend to envisage an older property at odds with modern living.

However, that's not always the case. The featured property was built in the mid '90s and while it had all the elements, there was a lack of cohesion, says architect Julian Guthrie, director of Godward Guthrie.

"The house is on a fairly large suburban lot of 1024m², yet the only access to the back yard was through a set of French doors off the kitchen. As a consequence the space was under utilised and offered no real lifestyle benefit."

Current owners, Andrew and Emma Bull, wanted to establish a seamless flow between indoors and out, and to transform the rear lawn into a multifaceted outdoor entertaining area.

The owners had embarked on an extensive remodel of the property, which included a 100m² addition that would house a home theatre and covered dining area. Provision was also made for a separate gazebo within the pool area itself.

Access to the new outdoor entertaining area would still be from the kitchen, albeit greatly expanded to give a real sense of connection.

"The house is solid masonry construction, which made altering it quite challenging from a structural standpoint," says Guthrie. "As a result, all reinforcing was manufactured on site.

"Other than that, the construction process was relatively straightforward. In keeping with the house, the addition features solid masonry construction."

Part of the addition has been given over to a home theatre, which atypically is accessed through plantation shutter-style doors.

"As a rule, home theatre rooms are located in basements or similarly isolated areas, which tends to limit their use," says Guthrie.

"There's no real reason why these rooms can't be more flexible in their scope. Proper acoustic modelling to ensure that there is no appreciable loss of audio quality will overcome any shortfalls. The result is a space that has multiple uses and that really adds to the overall amenity of the entertaining area."

Creating holistic spaces was key to the design concept. The outdoor dining area, for example, features operable louvres in the ceiling. This means the space can be open to the sky during fine weather or enclosed if it's raining. Open on two sides, the dining area accesses a lawn on the south side and the terrace and pool on the west. This increased functionality lies at the heart of the renovation, says Guthrie.

"The project has established a new hierarchy for how the owners interact with their home one that gives them a more pleasant lifestyle."

Story by: Justin Foote