03
03 The presence of the
garden and the pitch
of the ceiling reinforces
the ephemeral, tent-like
qualities of the pavilion.02 While shelving separates
the kitchen and living
spaces, the onus falls
on the ceiling volume
to define enclosure.serene, but mostly because two ends open to the garden and these,
along with other smaller apertures, give a reassuring sense of space
extending infinitely. The generous window seat, which hovers
over the garden on a knife-edge concrete base, secures a place to
contemplate domestic bliss and backyard Eden.
The kitchen is the place where detail and craft come to the fore
and where the tone is set for material exploration elsewhere. Con-
crete and marble contribute the muted greys, which bring depth to
white tiles, white-painted timber cabinetry and vast white ceilings.
Datum lines are struck so carefully that light and shade become part
of the composition. A hint of brass is added to window and door
hinges, and to the fine edges and doorhandle of a marble-finished
door. The considered balance of tone and composition is delicate
and powerful.
While the kitchen establishes the hub and engine room of
daily life, the living and garden rooms fashion spaces for sedation.
The garden room steps down with the fall of terrain as the timber
floor settles and folds to create a bench seat by the window. From
here, long views are guided across the lawn as well as up into the
house as air movement is controlled via solid shutters. Concrete
terraces encircle the room, their rise and fall forming the fireplace
hearth, bench seat and climbable edges for young crawlers to explore.
A light well inserted at the highest point of the ceiling washes walls
with sunlight and illuminates the striated pattern of timber cover
strips, which work to reaffirm the outdoor quality of the room.
Looking to the new pavilion from the shade of the back garden, a
paradox is revealed. The tall volumes of the interior appear suddenly
shrunken by the modest height of the eave. This is a deliberate move,
realized through the gentlemanly “tip of the hat” as the hipped roof
is tilted down toward the ground. This was orchestrated to manage
glare from the sun (and neighbours), but from the long approach,
via the easement, this gesture offers a cordial salutation and a warm
“welcome home.”
Camp Hill Cottage contributes handsomely to the venerable
catalogue of residential architecture realized by Owen Architecture.
Alluring in presence and experience, the project muses intensely
on the intangible qualities of built space. At the dining table, the
window seat, the fireplace and bathtub, togetherness is nurtured
and the rhythm of life’s pace is steadied. In these moments of quiet
vulnerability the architecture excels.