Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Contemporary House That's a Little Bit Country
This house on the outer edge of Melbourne is designed to respect it suburban-rural setting
Located on the fringe of Melbourne, Berwick offers the best of two worlds: undulating countryside as well as low-density suburban living surrounded by parks and homesteads. The clients – a family with four adult children – engaged Atelier Red+Black to design a family home on a large picturesque block.
“In order to respect this context – not rural, yet not suburban – the design is a contemporary and durable Australian house with strong visual references to a country farmhouse,” says architect Michael Smith, director of Atelier Red+Black. “With accentuated gable forms and a durable materials palette of corrugated steel and white-painted brickwork, the house has a strong identity, yet sits quietly in the landscape.”
“In order to respect this context – not rural, yet not suburban – the design is a contemporary and durable Australian house with strong visual references to a country farmhouse,” says architect Michael Smith, director of Atelier Red+Black. “With accentuated gable forms and a durable materials palette of corrugated steel and white-painted brickwork, the house has a strong identity, yet sits quietly in the landscape.”
The clients’ brief asked for a family home that could function effectively in two modes: “As a luxurious yet efficient home for a couple approaching retirement, and to accommodate the extended multi-generational family who would often stay during holidays,” says Smith.
To achieve this, Atelier Red+Black designed a gabled wing at the front of the house where three bedrooms and a bathroom can be closed off via sliding doors when not in use.
To achieve this, Atelier Red+Black designed a gabled wing at the front of the house where three bedrooms and a bathroom can be closed off via sliding doors when not in use.
The master bedroom and ensuite are located at the other end of the gabled wing, facing east to the backyard. The living area, kitchen and dining spaces are located in the centre of the house. The garage is positioned to the side of the house to the north, and the east-facing backyard has an alfresco dining area, swimming pool and fire pit.
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Need expert advice with your own build? Find an architect near you on Houzz to live your dream
The formal entry is beneath a pergola between the gabled forms. “It was important to have a strong architectural experience for entering the home, and substantial thought went into the entry process for our clients and their visitors,” says Smith. “The sequence of walking between the gable fronts and then between a pergola structure to the front door builds a sense of arrival without giving away what awaits on the other side of the door.”
Once inside, a double-sided fireplace radiates warmth in front of the entry and serves as a barrier to the formal living area behind it, while still allowing views into the room and garden beyond.
“Integrating views to vegetation and landscape was critical to the brief,” says Smith. As such, the entrance opens to a long central corridor that spans the width of the house and offers enticing garden views at both ends. A central courtyard behind the formal lounge brings light and greenery into the main living spaces.
“Integrating views to vegetation and landscape was critical to the brief,” says Smith. As such, the entrance opens to a long central corridor that spans the width of the house and offers enticing garden views at both ends. A central courtyard behind the formal lounge brings light and greenery into the main living spaces.
The formal living area is located two steps down from the hallway and entrance, creating the sense of a sunken lounge and enjoying the warmth of the double-sided fireplace.
Large windows make the most of the easterly aspect and a daybed provides the perfect spot to relax, read a book or enjoy a hot drink.
Atelier Red+Black limited west-facing windows to minimise the harsh light and solar gain from afternoon sun.
Atelier Red+Black limited west-facing windows to minimise the harsh light and solar gain from afternoon sun.
A large open-plan kitchen, dining and informal living area is adjacent to the formal lounge. The kitchen looks across a high dining table into the lounge room and out to the deck and landscape beyond. “The kitchen is one of the clients’ favourite places to be within the house. The view from behind the island bench across the living room and out to the landscape is superb,” says Smith.
The kitchen has a galley-style layout and is located between the informal dining and living area at one end, and the formal dining area at the other. White joinery is crisp and clean, and the wall between the kitchen and formal dining room is not full height to continue the sense of openness and light.
The formal dining room is generous in size for hosting dinner parties with all of the family, and a courtyard to the north provides a beautiful garden outlook. All the spaces in the house are designed for flexibility and for the clients to furnish and decorate them as they wish.
“The house was designed to give the inhabitants an inherent flexibility to fully occupy the rooms in a way that would give them the full satisfaction and sentiment of home,” says Smith. “The idea was to enable active homemaking over time, rather than prescribing a space that would limit the choices of art or artefacts for the family. This flexibility extended to the consideration of decorations for Christmas celebrations, which are a very important aspect for the clients.”
“The house was designed to give the inhabitants an inherent flexibility to fully occupy the rooms in a way that would give them the full satisfaction and sentiment of home,” says Smith. “The idea was to enable active homemaking over time, rather than prescribing a space that would limit the choices of art or artefacts for the family. This flexibility extended to the consideration of decorations for Christmas celebrations, which are a very important aspect for the clients.”
The living area, like the formal lounge, takes advantage of the eastern views and has sliding glass doors that open to the deck and outdoor dining space. A small study is located behind the sofa, where it has an internal opening or window, and also connects with the backyard. “The home office area was an important part of the brief to enable the clients to work in a way that was connected to the living space,” says Smith.
Atelier Red+Black conceived the outdoor areas in strong collaboration with the clients. “They had experience and the desire to be active participants in the landscape design,” says Smith. Together they created a variety of outdoor spaces that allow for different activities depending on the time of day or year.
The covered deck has a dining table for alfresco dining, and a fire pit is a warm and social place to sit during the day or night.
The lawn stretches out to the edge of the property with landscaped gardens, and the swimming pool is located in the north-east corner where it receives all-day sun. Lounge and seating areas face the pool for soaking up the sunshine and allow for easy supervision of kids.
The master bedroom faces the backyard with expansive views across the lawn.
The bathtub in the master ensuite sits below a window that frames views of a neighbouring tree, providing bright green colour in the otherwise neutral bathroom.
Bathroom floor and wall tiles: Elegance Tiles
Bathroom floor and wall tiles: Elegance Tiles
“Success is always a client who is happy with the result and feels a real sense of being at home in the new building. By this measure, the project has been a complete success,” says Smith. “As architects, we are also particularly proud of how the house responds to the immediate landscape and the broader context of the street and town.”
Your turn
Which elements of this build would you like in your own home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
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Missed our previous Houzz Tour? Catch up here with this Spain Houzz Tour: The Delicate Renovation of a Village Home
Your turn
Which elements of this build would you like in your own home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Missed our previous Houzz Tour? Catch up here with this Spain Houzz Tour: The Delicate Renovation of a Village Home
Who lives here: A couple with four adult children
Location: Berwick, Victoria
Size: 454 square metres with four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms
Architecture: Atelier Red+Black
The house is located on a 1.6-acre block in an area dominated by faux-heritage homes. Steering clear from this prevailing approach, Atelier Red+Black designed a modern house that sits low in the landscape and respects it once-rural setting.
The external materials palette also references the country Australian homestead with corrugated Colorbond steel and white-painted recycled bricks, which are robust, low-maintenance and enable the surrounding landscape to play a dominant visual role.