This indoor/outdoor space, with a retractable roof and a sculptural staircase made from blackbutt and brass, is relatively large for a house of this size.
“I think courtyards are often ignored,” Stutchbury says: “seen as something that’s only featured in palatial homes. But it’s these spaces that create something considerably more.” He included fixed timber mullions below the polycarbonate ceiling to diffuse light from above.
Timber louvres also frame one wall of the garage and the music/flexible room above – blurring spaces as much as channelling light.
Other areas, such as the wide corridor on the first floor (2.2 metres), double as places to read; built-in bookshelves line the corridor and create more than just a journey but a place to reflect and enjoy.
The open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas form a continuous link between the front and back of the house, with each facade book-ended by perforated brass.
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Concrete walls and polished concrete floors are complemented by timber joinery to create a softer, warmer interior palette.
“A lot of the timber joinery can be disassembled if the owners want to change the way the spaces are used, given the brief was for a ‘forever house’ rather than something that was simply trend-driven,” Stutchbury says.
And while the kitchen, with its concrete bench, has a sense of permanence, the outdoor dining terrace at the rear, with its double-height void, is more fragile, and has a built-in timber table – the type that reminds one of some of the best outdoor meals in one’s back garden.
The house is a stone’s throw from Curl Curl Lagoon and has glimpses of the Pacific Ocean.Credit: Aaron Colthorpe
While it’s not visible from the street, the freestanding bathtub on the roof terrace that Stutchbury was able to carve out has clear views of the Pacific Ocean.
These types of spaces were captured in the initial brief, which focused on what was needed rather than simply providing a wish list of finishes and materials that could be replicated anywhere.
“Our clients really hadn’t lived in an architect-designed home before, so they were coming to us with fresh eyes,” Stutchbury says.
“They worked extremely hard to go on this journey, and while they were conscious of cost, they could also see how this home would improve their lives, not just for the moment, but importantly, for the long term.”
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