houses HG
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE &GARDEN| 87
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or the owners of this Sydney home, an active family of
five, living in a leafy pocket between the city and the
beach provides a wonderful place from which to enjoy
the great outdoors. Their home – a new four-bedroom
Hamptons-inspired abode – has also become a favourite
spot for gatherings of family and friends, large and small.
Built on an elevated block with beautiful treetop and district
views, the home is designed to make the most of its spectacular
location, says architect Walter Barda.
The front door opens to a grand entry foyer with a guestroom
and powder room to the left and mudroom and laundry to the
right. Straight ahead and a few steps down is the great room-
style open-plan kitchen/dining/living area, which opens to an
outdoor living zone and pool area. “Since the site is elevated
over a rear lane, we created a lower-ground level for the garage
and installed a swimming pool on top,” says Walter. “This creates
the impression of a waterfront, giving the home a resort feel.”
Borrowed views of nearby trees add to the sense of space and
enhance the relaxed holiday home ambience.
The first floor contains the family’s bedrooms, family bathroom
and second living area, which is mostly used by the children. As
well as the garage, the lower-ground level contains a multi-usespace designed to evolve from a games room to a media room
and, eventually, to a parents’ retreat.
The layout delivers on the owners’ wish for rooms that can
be adapted as the children grow and their needs change, says
Walter. The result is a layout made up of a series of dynamic
spaces that encourage movement yet allow for lingering, and
which are suited to different times of the day and different
seasons throughout the year.
“The idea for the ground-floor communal space comes from
the concept of the ‘great room’, anchored by the kitchen at one
end and the living zone at the other,” he says. The main dining
area separates the two; a smaller dining table in a bay window
by the kitchen is used for more intimate gatherings.
“It can sometimes be quite daunting to work out the right
proportions for such a large open-plan space,” says Lily
Cumberland, a senior interior designer at Coco Republic, who
joined the project team at the commencement of the build.
“Zoning the great room helps maintain the sense of openness,
while providing ample seating for when it’s just the family at
home and when they’re entertaining.”
Discovering the clients’ love of the colour green, Lily introduced
different shades throughout, picked out from the shades in >