Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: An Eclectic and Open Home in Sydney
Natural light, art, and music fill an Australian family's dream home
This stunning home in Sydney, Australia, wasn't always so open and light-filled. These rooms were originally small and dark, due to the orientation of the house on the site. For the homeowners, a couple with two kids and a dog, natural light was the priority during the design of the new wing. So Sam Crawford Architects added a central courtyard that connected the original structure with the new wing, and added high windows to let in the light.
The clients also wanted their home to reflect their personalities as well as their amazing art collection. "This project is a great example of how dedicated and engaged clients and challenging site constraints can make for a rich and bespoke design," says Crawford Architects Senior Designer Karen Erdos.
The clients also wanted their home to reflect their personalities as well as their amazing art collection. "This project is a great example of how dedicated and engaged clients and challenging site constraints can make for a rich and bespoke design," says Crawford Architects Senior Designer Karen Erdos.
This sleek library-style bookshelf was designed to store books and art objects (the owners had an extensive ceramic collection to display) and to accentuate the height of the 14.5 foot ceilings.
The ceiling is lined with recycled timber beams saved during the demolition process. They are one of many sustainable features of this unique house.
The ceiling is lined with recycled timber beams saved during the demolition process. They are one of many sustainable features of this unique house.
This wide shot of the room shows how well the new wing blends the indoors and the outdoors. The home has a rear garden and central courtyard. Flooring throughout is polished concrete, and the interior walls are lined with recycled brick.
The clients wanted each space in the new wing to perform multiple functions. This large room has places for playing and listening to music, dining, and even a lounge area for reading. "They really wanted to blur the distinctions between room uses," says Crawford.
Some of the clients’ precious collection of Scandinavian hand-painted ceramic tiles were used for the joinery work in the house, and they inspired the architects to create a large, laser-cut wood panel in a pattern borrowed from the tiles.
The laser-cut panel was installed as a visual divider between the kitchen and the great room. The kitchen also has sliding windows with a bench that opens to the back garden.
The central courtyard plays a big role in blurring the line between indoors and outdoors. Most of the windows in these rooms can be opened and have a low bench seat for enjoying the space in between the two. "We did end up limiting the extent that all of the windows and doors can open up," says Erdos. "This provides some level of distinction between the inside and the outside."
Recycled brick was used extensively inside and out, for both environmental and aesthetic reasons. Lightweight steel-framed windows and doors were painted black to emphasize the tall brick walls in the dining room and the courtyard.
"Focusing on sustainability resulted in a design that sits on a clear continuum in our work," says Erdos. "We pushed for maximum thermal comfort with minimal ongoing energy use."
The architects installed the concrete slab floors and the reverse brick veneer wall with sustainability in mind. The central courtyard provides winter sun to the south-facing living areas, which warms the concrete floors.
Evacuated solar tubes provide underfloor heating to the bedroom, bathroom and living areas. "It has quite an industrial feel," says Erdos, "but it has warmth and great attention to detail. There are numerous small and delightful elements within the project that reveal themselves after spending time there.”
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The beautifully crafted dining table and chairs are heirlooms from Scandinavia. "They have a great painting and object collection," says Erdos. "They have their own unique style, which very much contributed to the industrial and craft aesthetic of the construction."
Pendants: Great Dane Furniture