HOMES
LAUREN DAVIDSON KNEW SHE’D FOUND THE ARCHITECT to design her Gold Coast home when James Russell boldly climbed up onto the
roof of the existing dilapidated house, to get a better feel for the spot. “Being two minutes from the beach, our goal was to knock it down and
build a home that suited our family and relaxed lifestyle,” Lauren says. “James is so creative and we knew working together was a no-brainer.”
EASY BREEZY Having shown James the many pictures of breeze block houses that she’d saved on Pinterest, Lauren was hoping the
patterned concrete blocks would be used in some capacity – but she’d never contemplated using them en masse as a semi-transparent screen
around the entire house. “It took some time to get my head around the concept, but it wasn’t hard to soon say, ‘That’s fantastic’,” she says.
“Sometimes you just have to let your guard down and trust the professionals.” With the vision locked in place, the Davidsons took on the project
as owner builders. “My husband James managed all the contractors,” Lauren says.
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT With two young children, the house fulfils its brief as a liveable family home with a functional layout that allows
Lauren to pursue her love of baking and patisserie while the little ones play. “I can be in the kitchen supervising while the kids explore the
space. They like to ride bikes around the courtyard or gather the riverstones and draw faces on them.” Private areas, including four bedrooms,
are located upstairs while the ground floor is a mix of open patios that ensure constant cross-ventilation through the living spaces. A couple of
years on, Lauren says living within the breezeblock screen is pure bliss, especially when the afternoon sea breeze blows in. A
real living