Shore leave

One of the major advantages of living in a region with agreeable weather and more than a fair share of coastline is the amount of time one can dedicate to being outdoors. All around the Pacific, people are preoccupied with an aquatic lifestyle, and not surprisingly, this is reflected in the architecture of the region.

Clean-lined, open-plan structures that incorporate good indoor-outdoor flow predominate, says Kim Veltman, principal of Kim Veltman Architecture.

"Well suited to the climate, these types of properties also lend themselves to a variety of entertaining options."

Asked to design a family home for this elevated site, Veltman and the owners, Jan and Peter Jeffery, eventually settled on a contemporary design with multiple outdoor areas and extensive views from nearly every room.

"The biggest challenge of the project was due to the topography of the land," says Veltman. "While it's a large site, it falls steeply away at the rear, which required some clever thinking to overcome."

"One of the requirements was for the inclusion of a swimming pool. In order to maximize the amount of usable land, the pool has been cantilevered over the edge and is used as a retaining device."

By pushing the pool out as far as it would go, an area of lawn was able to be established which breaks up the amount of hard landscaping and also introduces a new color element into the pared-back design scheme.

"I wanted the planting to take on a more European look," says Jan Jeffery. "Sculptural plants in pots add visual interest and counter the crisp lines of the architecture, and the lawn area makes a nice counterpoint to that.

"It also adds another dimension to the outdoor sitting area, differentiating it from the other spaces."

As well as the sitting area, there is also an outdoor dining space that adjoins the kitchen and indoor dining room, and looks out over the neighboring marina. Its position also provides some shelter from the wind.

Next to the pool is another sitting area, says Veltman.

"I positioned this as far forward on the property as possible to maximise the view, which at that point is nearly 180 degrees.

"The overall result is three modern and liveable spaces with differing purposes, yet they share a vernacular that is formed by their response to the structure they flow from."

Story by: Justin Foote

Photography by: Jamie Cobeldick