Nodding to the past, opening to the future

Architect/homeowner – Paul Clarke, Studio2 Architects

From the architect:

Within the local community people would say of no.3 “yes I know it – the black timber house down the long drive”.

In the spirit of staying true to the house’s history we have respected the description of the “black timber house down the long drive”.

The main footprint of the old house has been responded to and the new house takes on the memory of its original form while refining the detail and layout of the spaces.

The new layout has been designed in modules that create meaning and purpose to each of the spaces, taking into consideration composition, scale, proportion and craft.

Architect/home owner – The journey to the entry allows for the appreciation of the building, unveiling scale but allowing for an intrigue and a way to experience the home in its transition between its forms. 

As you walk down the drive, the #3 concrete emblem is a tribute to the architect’s family – his wife and two boys – and also references the number three street address.

Once you arrive at the entry and car court, you enter through crafted in-situ concrete walls that nod back to the memory of the cedar weatherboards of the old house. 

The entry door represents the architectural symbolism for a pivot door and is three dimensional in section. The door's coloured glass captures the primary colours – the starting point for any artist in the production of an artwork. 

The in-situ wall holes are completed with coloured Perspex, extending and playing on the theme of colour.

Upon entering the home, natural light delights from above through a sculptured skylight, echoing a request from the owner for the main bedroom to see the sky. 

Repeating this idea in the entry provides an interesting light quality that changes and allows an interaction with the natural light of the day or night and changing seasons.

The transition into the main part of the home is created through a change in material from a concrete polished floor in the entry to Matai timber steps (again a nod to the memory of the old house which also had Matai timber flooring) before coming back to concrete and, like an Escher 3D artwork, meeting another set of steps that take you in another direction.

A glazed link between the two building forms creates a flash of transferal into another zone. It is at this point that you arrive into the kitchen, dining, and family area which is the heart of the home – the family hub!

Timber joinery, cedar ceilings, recycled timber (reused cedar weatherboards from the existing house), and black walls provide a dramatic, refined but homely simplicity. A black blackboard paint magnetic wall offsets drama and art with playfulness and frivolity.

Glazing to the north allows you to connect and be part of the landscape connecting you to the outdoors with established trees many of which were planted in the early 1940s.

A simple palette of natural materials is seen in the family room and adjoining library which contains a collection of art, objects, and books that all have meaning and memories for us as a couple and a family.

The kitchen is a central aspect of the home where enjoyment of food, beer, wine, family and friends creates memories daily. There are several distinct zones within the kitchen – cooking, coffee, prepping, baking, storage and cleaning.

Outside, the pool area is set down for shelter with walls for water sport rebounds.

The outdoor living area with opening roof, dining, al frsco lounge and fireplace creates a space for year-round enjoyment.

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Simon Devitt