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A collaboration of sandstone cladding, exposed powder-coated steel frame, copper down lights, dark timber detailing and greenery at its base creates an interesting palette for this Clifton Gardens entry.
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The fineness, the smooth finish and sinuous flow of the hand rail makes this balustrade a pleasure to touch.
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The detailing of the screen and handrails make for an always changing composition as one moves through the house.
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Colour recessed highlights act as handles and motifs for this child's robe unit. The colour inserts can change as the child's tastes change.
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Lifting joinery above the floor and stopping before the ceiling makes a space feel bigger than it is.
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The mirrored splashback acts like a window to the view behind.
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Opening the corner to the Angophoras outside entertains the eye during the _every-day_ chore of washing-up.
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The screen affords site line privacy and connection between lounge and kitchen. It floats above the floor and just under the ceiling allowing the eye to travel beyond the confines of the screen.
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Well detailed privacy / sun control screens give warmth to the facade and protection to the bedroom.
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The exposed rafters draw the eye into the house, then the view draws the eye further. The batten side panels give a hint of what is beyond when the door is closed but also act as a ventilated security grille.
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Roof structure needed to cross the skylight. The structure was boxed-in down to the ceiling level, making for a play of light and shadow on the walls.
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The blades veil the wall above and help contain the space. They cast shadows on the wall and reduce glare. They support the blinds to cover the glass and hide the skylight mullions. And they add rhythm as you walk underneath.
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This bathroom sits into the hill but natural light and a view to sky is still available via the light shaft. The shaft tiles were chosen to refract the light.
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The tiler refused, so we set-out the marble tiles on the bathroom floor so that the veins matched. It was a giant puzzle which had no picture to follow. It took 2.5 hours but it will forever look right.
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Cut timber boards allow water to pass through to a drip tray under the timber floor. The shower stone is cut in strips to match the floor boards - the colour and grain a close match. As a back -up, a stainless steel drain at the door collects drip and splashes from the door.
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The light feature makes the journey to the garage something more than just a walk down the communal back stair / fire stair.
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Items on the display shelf entertain the eye on the stair journey. Storage space is located behind the adjacent panels.
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The white grille leads to the existing roof vents. It hides the low cost fluorescent lights above. Air conditioning comes through the grille in the veneer when the days just get too hot in the attic.
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The sinuous stair winds up through the house playfully enticing the eye to explore the space above and below the living level.
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Th eye traces the balustrade and handrail down from one floor to the next and back up again.
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Stairs are good places in which to store things.
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Items on the display shelf entertain the eye on the stair journey. Storage space is located behind the adjacent panels.
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The screen opens up different vistas on each level, amusing the eye while climbing 4 flights to the attic. The copper sleeve,smooth to touch, protects the painted timber from dirty hands at changes in direction.
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The voids and stair let light penetrate into the lower levels of this house.
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The stair comes out to great you with its stretched 3 bottom treads, and the 6 steps feel more like only 3- 4stop. LED lighting defines the step edge at night.
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For this alts + adds project, the void and stair permit light to enter into the depths of the house from where it was previously excluded. It gives a sense of theatre to the 'everyday' garage / basement access stair.
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The light feature makes the journey to the garage something more than just a walk down the communal back stair / fire stair.
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At the entry landing, this entry stair splays to encourage the visitor to to go up to the living areas. The Pony tails in the courtyard amuse the eye on the way.
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The open risers allow light to penetrate further into the house.
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The client liked to bathe so the bath is centred on the room, a choice in-keeping with a Victorian terrace. The WC and shower are shrouded by the marble wall. The floor boards are the existing boards relaid over a membraned tray floor to catch any splashed water. Additionally, there are drainage slots outside the shower.
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Cut timber boards allow water to pass through to a drip tray under the timber floor. The shower stone is cut in strips to match the floor boards - the colour and grain a close match. As a back -up, a stainless steel drain at the door collects drip and splashes from the door.
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Extending the confines of the shower up and into the skylight shaft makes this modest size bathroom feel much larger.
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This bathroom sits into the hill but natural light and a view to sky is still available via the light shaft. The shaft tiles were chosen to refract the light.
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Seeing sky from the internal shower compartment elevates the showing experience to something more than an _everyday_ function.
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The teenager's bathroom took the place of the cramped existing victorian staircase. The existing feature glass highlights informed the splashback shelf colour.
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The exposed rafters draw the eye into the house, then the view draws the eye further. The batten side panels give a hint of what is beyond when the door is closed but also act as a ventilated security grille.
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On a steep site, entering on a mezzanine works well. It encourages you to pause a moment and survey the space you are about to enter and the view you are about to approach. You feel at ease because you can see where you are about to go.
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The stone wall, landscape and roof all extend either side of the gate reducing the barred entry feel of many security gates. A viewing portal in the wall adjacent breaks up the wall and gives a vista to the courtyard you are about to walk past.
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Entry Gate and walkway
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A generous entry sets up an expectation of the same beyond the door. Separating the entry from the lower apartment made the two apartments feel more like independent homes.
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The lower apartment entry is separate from the upper. The length of the entry gives the sense of being more removed from the street. The hint of the view beyond and the staggered paving keeps the eye entertained on approach to the front door.
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Something to look at on entry encourages one to pause. The joinery recess extends the entry walls thereby including the hallway space as part of the entry - making both feel spacious as a result. This is important when the home has limited space.
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The raking ceiling, the light from above define the entry and make it feel generous even when the floor area could not be. The landscaping is a surprise to make one pause. The curved wall and the light beyond lead the eye to the next destination.
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Looking back up the street.
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A grand house needs a grand door. These doors are 3m high but remain in proportion to the rest of the entry space. The awing above helps to define the space and affords a sense of scale.
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The large open entry deck is welcoming, like a country homestead verandah. Party guests often sit at this entry to enjoy the garden.
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The translucent splash back affords southern light. A casement window at the western end offers a vignette of the river from the kitchen sink whilst screening the neighbour.
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Small kitchens must make use of all available storage. The storage wall beyond stores all glasses and cups but is only 1 glass deep. The sink shroud stores the toaster and kettle.
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'Bending' the living room afforded width to the western verandah in the middle where it was needed, and not at the ends where greater internal space was needed.
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Not everyone gets a view of the garden from the verandah table so time was spent thinking about how to compose the vista looking back into the house.
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Screening and shrouding a section of the island bench gives a semi-private connection between kitchen and eating spaces.
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Our Clifton Gardens client required a generous walk in pantry that could be closed off from the kitchen when entertaining.
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The existing house had a wardrobe covering this desk window which had views to the Harbour bridge. The window could not be made higher but it is the perfect height when one is sitting at the desk or lying on the bed.
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The bedroom benefits from the view across the courtyard and living space - all the way to the Heads.
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Highlight windows afford cross ventilation and western light into the master bedroom. On the inside, the skillion roof makes the room feel generous, on the outside, it helps the building to read more as a house than a block of flats.
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A daybed is the perfect place for a weekend nap. The window in the roof is positioned to offer views to trees and sky from a lying position.
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The raked ceiling allows morning light to penetrate this western bedroom and en-suite. The louvres afford cross ventilation and blinds can block out the light.
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This courtyard provide light, cross ventilation and an internal aspect to an apartment bedroom which had no external aspect available to it.
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The children's bedrooms have plenty of light which can be tempered by the external shutters.
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Bay windows provided a desk alcove in the children's bedrooms. Splaying them afforded water vistas from the other two children's rooms which were not able to have the direct view.
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Better use was made of the basement guest room by hiding the bed in the wall and freeing-up the room for the kid's play space.
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This image is taken from the master bedroom - the fourth side to the courtyard. The courtyard separates the bedroom and lounge without losing the view from the bedroom and becomes an extension of both. External venetian blinds on each side of the courtyard give privacy to the bedroom.
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This courtyard acts as the space between two forms and two functions of the home. Its landscaping behind a picture window is the surprise on entry.
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The courtyard becomes the focus on entry.
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The external kitchen terrace becomes the 4th side to the courtyard.
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This courtyard provide light, cross ventilation and an internal aspect to an apartment bedroom which had no external aspect available to it.
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A mango and Natora tree were such a special part of the virgin site that the house was designed around the two trees. The courtyard separates the guest pavilion from the house. The trees become a focus of the house, just as much as the lagoon.
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This image is taken from the master bedroom in the lower apartment. As in the apartment above a courtyard separates the bedroom and lounge without losing the view from the bedroom. The courtyard can be an extension of the bedroom, the lounge or both.
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As there was no external views from this site in Mosman, a north-facing courtyard courtyard was introduced to afford internal vistas and spatial relief from neighbouring walls.
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This small courtyard creates the break between the old victorian terrace and the new works.
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