Wood straight-run staircase with open risers. Wood side railing.

Tripp Smith

A warm palette of materials. The Balmoral House is located within the lower north-shore suburb of Balmoral. The site presents many difficulties being wedged shaped, on the low side of the street, hemmed in by two substantial existing houses and with just half the land area of its neighbours. Where previously the site would have enjoyed the benefits of a sunny rear yard beyond the rear building alignment, this is no longer the case with the yard having been sold-off to the neighbours. Our design process has been about finding amenity where on first appearance there appears to be little. The design stems from the first key observation, that the view to Middle Harbour is better from the lower ground level due to the height of the canopy of a nearby angophora that impedes views from the first floor level. Placing the living areas on the lower ground level allowed us to exploit setback controls to build closer to the rear boundary where oblique views to the key local features of Balmoral Beach and Rocky Point Island are best. This strategy also provided the opportunity to extend these spaces into gardens and terraces to the limits of the site, maximising the sense of space of the 'living domain'. Every part of the site is utilised to create an array of connected interior and exterior spaces The planning then became about ordering these living volumes and garden spaces to maximise access to view and sunlight and to structure these to accommodate an array of social situations for our Client’s young family. At first floor level, the garage and bedrooms are composed in a linear block perpendicular to the street along the south-western to enable glimpses of district views from the street as a gesture to the public realm. Critical to the success of the house is the journey from the street down to the living areas and vice versa. A series of stairways break up the journey while the main glazed central stair is the centrepiece to the house as a light-filled piece of sculpture that hangs above a reflecting pond with pool beyond. The architecture works as a series of stacked interconnected volumes that carefully manoeuvre down the site, wrapping around to establish a secluded light-filled courtyard and terrace area on the north-eastern side. The expression is 'minimalist modern' to avoid visually complicating an already dense set of circumstances. Warm natural materials including off-form concrete, neutral bricks and blackbutt timber imbue the house with a calm quality whilst floor to ceiling glazing and large pivot and stacking doors create light-filled interiors, bringing the garden inside. In the end the design reverses the obvious strategy of an elevated living space with balcony facing the view. Rather, the outcome is a grounded compact family home sculpted around daylight, views to Balmoral and intertwined living and garden spaces that satisfy the social needs of a growing young family. Photo: Katherine Lu

J. Lynn Photography

Client: Private Residence In North London Brief: To supply & install carpet to stairs with border

Built in 1998, the 2,800 sq ft house was lacking the charm and amenities that the location justified. The idea was to give it a "Hawaiiana" plantation feel. Exterior renovations include staining the tile roof and exposing the rafters by removing the stucco soffits and adding brackets. Smooth stucco combined with wood siding, expanded rear Lanais, a sweeping spiral staircase, detailed columns, balustrade, all new doors, windows and shutters help achieve the desired effect. On the pool level, reclaiming crawl space added 317 sq ft. for an additional bedroom suite, and a new pool bathroom was added. On the main level vaulted ceilings opened up the great room, kitchen, and master suite. Two small bedrooms were combined into a fourth suite and an office was added. Traditional built-in cabinetry and moldings complete the look.

Tom Crane Photography

Our client's wish was for her home to blend in with its natural surroundings. Thompson Remodeling completed a full exterior remodel and replaced her existing wood siding with James Hardie cement siding in Mountain Sage.

Glass railings and iron glass threads covered in marble along with all glass and stainless steel elevator shaft. All fabricated and installed by Conti Glass Corp. for multi million dollar home in Orlando Fl.

Solid Apollo LED. In this previously dark and unlit stairwell, the owner wanted to bring a unique design to life with added safety and while keeping costs down. Here the owner used Warm White LED Strip Light on each individual stair and installed the wiring under the side trim. The entire installation is controlled using a pair of Micro LED Dimmers mounted subtely under the rail for on/off control and full dimming without the need for wiring and wall installation usually associated with wall switches.

Photography by Steve Edwards