Now and Zen

Designed by C. Kairouz Architects

From the architects:

Intro

This is a modern family home featuring a minimalist design and a monochromatic colour scheme. 

The exterior showcases a dynamic facade of stepped volumes, that naturally flow with the elevated site.

Inside, the open floor plan is adorned with high-quality, durable materials, creating a sophisticated look.

Large windows and high ceilings fill the space with natural light, connecting the indoor ambiance with the outdoor scenery. 

The subtle interior palette further highlights the surrounding landscape, making nature the focal point. 

Drawing inspiration from modern Japanese design and wabi-sabi principles, the home embraces simplicity and a love for nature, offering a peaceful and harmonious living space. 

The brief

This is a family home designed for busy professionals and their children. 

Conceived as both a sanctuary and a statement, the home offers an open, bright, and welcoming atmosphere with a striking presence that captures views and light. 

The minimalist design creates a refined aesthetic, effortlessly integrating natural surroundings into the living spaces.

Inspired by Japanese design principles, the home focuses on simplicity and clutter-free living. 

The thoughtful layout and ample storage solutions ensure a clean and organised environment, enhancing the overall well-being of the occupants. 

This harmonious blend of functionality and style provides a tranquil yet sophisticated living space where the family can thrive, balancing the demands of professional life with the serenity of a well designed home.

Key challenges

Faced with the challenge of optimising its west-facing orientation for year-round comfort, cross ventilation, and passive design, the home required strategic material choices, practical layouts and innovative solutions.

The design team used tinted glazing on west-facing windows, black battened screens, light-coloured render, and verandahs to minimise heat gain. 

Inside, polished concrete floors, ceiling fans, sheer curtains, and thermal coverings enhanced climate control. 

High ceilings, large sliding doors, and a central courtyard improved natural airflow throughout the dwelling.

Skylights and a window splashback increase natural light on southern aspects. 

The inclusion of hydronic underfloor heating also assists the home in providing year-round comfort.

The home's success lies in its flexible, functional open floor plan. 

Consistent materials integrate exterior and interior aesthetics. 

Practical features like a walk-in pantry and hidden laundry door maintain visual appeal while concealing the often messier work rooms of the home. 

Breakout zones and private areas can be closed off for thermal management, adapting to the family's evolving requirements. 

Entertaining areas were placed on the eastern rear to maximise morning and midday light – these zones open to one another to create perfect places for gathering.

Understanding the family's needs was key to selecting these solutions. 

Balancing aesthetic appeal with functionality ensured the home looks attractive and performs efficiently in various weather conditions while maintaining sustainability. 

Effective communication among architects, builders, and stakeholders ensured cohesive design goals and practical implementation, enhancing liveability and comfort.

This approach exemplifies a balanced strategy in meeting aesthetic, comfort, and functional requirements in residential design.

Design solutions

Combining architectural sophistication with functional excellence, this home stands out in the market with features like the internal courtyard and light well, expansive storage solutions, and alfresco living spaces.

The design includes unique elements such as offset stone steps at the front entrance and geometric motifs in the stepped facade and rear architectural fins. 

This thoughtful detailing enhances aesthetic appeal while optimising functionality, promoting natural light and airflow for a dynamic and visually striking form.

Inspired by Japanese design principles, the project reimagines modern family living. 

With smart layouts, clutter-free spaces featuring ample storage, clean and concealed joinery details, and a muted colour palette, the interiors promotes tranquility and usability. 

The external staggering of forms is mirrored inside, as with the layered stone island bench. 

Blackened timber battens add character, creating feature walls that conceal doorways for surprising reveals and to help define different zones. 

The ensuite – with a freestanding tub, highlighted by a skylit void and adorned with a marble feature wall – exemplifies the design's aim to create a Zen-like retreat for the parents. 

The master suite, study, and entertaining areas are on the lower level, while the children's bedrooms and retreat are upstairs, providing versatile spaces for gatherings and privacy, catering to modern family dynamics. 

Sustainability and longevity were key priorities. 

Designed for enduring appeal, the home avoids fleeting trends in favour of timeless design principles, making it a legacy property. 

The double-storey layout, expansive openings, and integrated outdoor kitchen and entertaining spaces, including a pool, maximise the natural elevation, neighbourhood views, and indoor-outdoor connectivity. 

A concealed four-car garage basement provides off-street parking, ample storage, and additional amenities.

In essence, this home is a lasting investment in lifestyle and architectural excellence, poised to remain relevant and cherished across generations.

Sustainability – enhanced efficiency / reduced carbon footprint

The home embodies a comprehensive approach to sustainability, incorporating several key strategies:

• A knock-down-rebuild strategy replaced an underperforming structure with an energy-efficient residence.
• Rainwater harvesting – the basement incorporates a 5000L rainwater tank to reuse grey water in the home’s toilet flushing and garden upkeep.
• Durable materials – use of high-quality, easy-maintenance materials such as natural stone, charred timber, concrete, and brick for long-lasting construction.

• Energy efficiency – double glazed high-performance windows and doors, with sealed, thermally efficient insulation and a high energy rating were key to ensuring the building's envelope was airtight.
• Passive design – the design promotes passive heating and cooling, reducing the need for relying on mechanical systems, and maximising cross ventilation and ceiling fans for natural airflow.
• Tinted windows & shading devices – west-facing windows are shaded by black battened screens, verandahs and awnings along with operable tinted grey double glazing to minimise heat gain while still allowing the spaces inside to be light – further enhancing the home's energy efficiency.
• Optimal orientation – the north and east-facing orientation has been maximised to take advantage of natural light, breezes and warmth – improving energy efficiency and comfort.
• Landscaping – significant landscaping collaboration with Sabo Design ensured that the architecture and gardens worked hand in hand – key elements were the specification of water efficient, drought hardy plants, along with mature plantings that would offer shading to help to reduce the heat island effect and be complementary to the built form's soften hard edges – overall, this partnership promotes indoor outdoor living and enhanced wellbeing with views of greenery at almost every turn.

These measures collectively ensure an eco-friendly, durable, and comfortable living environment.

Features

Six bathrooms; four bedrooms; two living rooms; study/office; walk-in pantry; pool; generous alfresco living; internal courtyard; four-car basement carpark; separate laundry; significant landscaping; hydronic underfloor heating; built-in Bose speakers.

In summation

The project creates a modern family home that enhances wellbeing and health while implementing innovative design solutions that optimise a challenging west-facing orientation. 

It features a central courtyard that captures natural breezes and maximises light in the middle of the home, enhancing ventilation and illumination. 

Additional elements like strategically placed operable tinted & clear double glazing, water tanks, charred timber screens and ceiling fans improve efficiency, while the blend of Japanese-inspired aesthetics, hard wearing finishes and practical functionality ensures beauty and adaptability. 

Effective collaboration among the design team and builders ensured the project achieved a harmonious balance of aesthetics, comfort, and sustainability.

Story by: Trendsideas