02
02 Capturing the spectacular
view, floor-to-ceiling
windows along the
length of the living/
dining space are framed
by a narrow balcony and
overhanging roof.03 The steep pitch of the
ceiling creates dramatic
interior volumes.
Artwork: Carol Duvall
(above fireplace); Makinti
Napanangka (above
bookshelf); Judi Elliot
(glass sculptures on
fireplace and coffee table).clerestoried elements that create dramatic
interior spaces. Rather than being dug into
the hillside, the building is elevated and
supported by a steel frame and posts so
that rainwater can easily flow beneath.
Entry to the house is not immediately
apparent. From the street, little more than
the roof is visible. Visitors find their way
down a choice of curving garden paths to
a brush fence with a Japanese-style entry
gate, installed by the current owners. The
cool and dense garden, with clipped hedges,
strappy-leafed plants and maple trees, offers
respite from the Canberra summer heat.
A sheltered front door opens to a tile-
floored entry hall, in which a previous
owner installed a large wall mirror. To the
right is a bathroom, with dramatic dark
tiles and a deep-red window, then what the
owners call “the Chinese room,” a small
study/guestroom containing a beautiful red
lacquered Chinese canopy bed. Surprisingly,
this modestly sized room has a soaring,
two-storey, stepped-glass wall to the valley
view (cleverly constructed so its glass panels
could be removed from inside, if necessary).
Characteristically for Taglietti, the entry
hall opens into a dramatic void, with a raked
cedar-lined ceiling signalling the building’s
intersecting volumes. To the left, a half-
flight of stairs leads to the two bedrooms
and another bathroom along a hallway
lined with finely crafted “hidden” storage.
The living/dining room and the kitchen
are a few steps down from the entry. Floor-
to-ceiling windows along the length of the
living/dining space are framed by a narrow
balcony and overhanging roof to reveal
spectacular valley and mountain views.
On the internal wall opposite, a niche holds
artworks and a small model of the house.
The recess is mirrored, thoughtfully allowing
diners seated with their backs to the
windows an opportunity to enjoy the views.
The house was built largely to Taglietti’s
original drawings and has had only minor
alterations by previous owners. Saturated
colour walls in the entry and living/dining