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AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN| 87
F
ortheownersofthisSydneyhome,anactivefamilyof
five,livingina leafypocketbetweenthecityandthe
beachprovidesa wonderfulplacefromwhichtoenjoy
thegreatoutdoors.Theirhome– a newfour-bedroom
Hamptons-inspiredabode– hasalsobecomea favourite
spotforgatheringsoffamilyandfriends,largeandsmall.
Builtonanelevatedblockwithbeautifultreetopanddistrict
views,thehomeisdesignedtomakethemost of its spectacular
location,saysarchitectWalterBarda.
Thefrontdooropenstoa grandentryfoyerwitha guestroom
andpowderroomtotheleftandmudroomandlaundrytothe
right.Straightaheadanda fewstepsdownisthegreatroom-
styleopen-plankitchen/dining/livingarea,whichopenstoan
outdoorlivingzoneandpoolarea.“Sincethesiteiselevated
overa rearlane,wecreateda lower-groundlevelforthegarage
andinstalleda swimmingpoolontop,”saysWalter.“Thiscreates
theimpressionofa waterfront,givingthehomea resortfeel.”
Borrowedviewsofnearbytreesaddtothesense of space and
enhancetherelaxedholidayhomeambience.
Thefirstfloorcontainsthefamily’sbedrooms,familybathroom
andsecondlivingarea,whichismostlyusedbythechildren.As
well as the garage, the lower-ground level contains a multi-usespacedesignedtoevolvefroma gamesroom to a media room
and,eventually,toa parents’retreat.
Thelayoutdeliversontheowners’wishforroomsthatcan
beadaptedasthechildrengrowandtheirneedschange,says
Walter.Theresultisa layoutmadeupofa seriesofdynamic
spacesthatencouragemovementyetallowforlingering,and
whicharesuitedtodifferenttimes of the day and different
seasonsthroughouttheyear.
“Theideafortheground-floorcommunalspacecomesfrom
theconceptofthe‘greatroom’,anchoredbythekitchenatone
endandthelivingzoneattheother,”hesays.Themaindining
areaseparatesthetwo;a smallerdiningtableina baywindow
bythekitchenisusedformoreintimategatherings.
“Itcansometimesbequitedauntingtoworkouttheright
proportionsforsuchalargeopen-planspace,”saysLily
Cumberland,a seniorinteriordesigneratCocoRepublic,who
joinedtheprojectteamatthecommencementofthebuild.
“Zoningthegreatroomhelpsmaintainthesenseofopenness,
whileprovidingampleseatingforwhenit’s just the family at
homeandwhenthey’reentertaining.”
Discoveringtheclients’loveofthecolourgreen,Lilyintroduced
different shades throughout, picked out from the shades in >