The Narrabeen House is located on the edge of Narrabeen Lagoon and is fortunate to have outlook across water to an untouched island dense with casuarinas. By contrast, the street context is unremarkable without the slightest hint of the lagoon beyond the houses lining the street and manages to give the impression of being deep in suburbia. The house is new and replaces a former 1970s cream brick house that functioned poorly and like many other houses from the time, did little to engage with the unique environmental qualities of the lagoon. In starting this project, we clearly wanted to re-dress the connection with the lagoon and island, but also found ourselves drawn to the suburban qualities of the street and this dramatic contrast between the front and back of the property. This led us to think about the project within the framework of the ‘suburban ideal’ - a framework that would allow the house to address the street as any other suburban house would, while inwardly pursuing the ideals of oasis and retreat where the water experience could be used to maximum impact - in effect, amplifying the current contrast between street and lagoon. From the street, the house’s composition is built around the entrance, driveway and garage like any typical suburban house however the impact of these domestic elements is diffused by melding them into a singular architectural expression and form. The broad facade combined with the floating skirt detail give the house a horizontal proportion and even though the dark timber cladding gives the building a ‘stealth’ like appearance, it still withholds the drama of the lagoon beyond. This sets up two key planning strategies. Firstly, a central courtyard is introduced as the principal organising element for the planning with all of the house’s key public spaces - living room, dining room, kitchen, study and pool - grouped around the courtyard to connect these spaces visually, and physically when the courtyard walls are opened up. The arrangement promotes a socially inclusive dynamic as well as extending the spatial opportunities of the house. The courtyard also has a significant environmental role bringing sun, light and air into the centre of the house. Secondly, the planning is composed to deliberately isolate the occupant from the suburban surrounds to heighten the sense of oasis and privateness. This process begins at the street bringing visitors through a succession of exterior spaces that gradually compress and remove the street context through a composition of fences, full height screens and thresholds. The entry sequence eventually terminates at a solid doorway where the sense of intrigue peaks. Rather than entering into a hallway, one arrives in the courtyard where the full extent of the private domain, the lagoon and island are revealed and any sense of the outside world removed. The house also has an unusual sectional arrangement driven partly by the requirement to elevate the interior 1.2m above ground level to safeguard against flooding but also by the desire to have open plan spaces with dual aspect - north for sun and south for the view. Whilst this introduces issues with the scale relationship of the house to its neighbours, it enables a more interesting multi- level relationship between interior and exterior living spaces to occur. This combination of sectional interplay with the layout of spaces in relation to the courtyard is what enables the layering of spaces to occur - it is possible to view the courtyard, living room, lagoon side deck, lagoon and island as backdrop in just one vista from the study. Flood raising 1200mm helps by introducing level changes that step and advantage the deeper views Porosity radically increases experience of exterior framed views, elevated The vistas from the key living areas and courtyard are composed to heighten the sense of connection with the lagoon and place the island as the key visual terminating feature. The materiality further develops the notion of oasis with a simple calming palette of warm natural materials that have a beneficial environmental effect while connecting the house with the natural environment of the lagoon and island.

In the case of the Ivy Lane residence, the al fresco lifestyle defines the design, with a sun-drenched private courtyard and swimming pool demanding regular outdoor entertainment. By turning its back to the street and welcoming northern views, this courtyard-centred home invites guests to experience an exciting new version of its physical location. A social lifestyle is also reflected through the interior living spaces, led by the sunken lounge, complete with polished concrete finishes and custom-designed seating. The kitchen, additional living areas and bedroom wings then open onto the central courtyard space, completing a sanctuary of sheltered, social living.

Photo by: Martin Tessler A bachelor pad Bruce Wayne would approve of, this 1,000 square-foot Yaletown property belonging to a successful inventor-entrepreneur was to be soiree central for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A concept juxtaposing rawness with sophistication was agreed on, morphing what was an average two bedroom in its previous life to a loft with concrete floors and brick walls revealed and complemented with gloss, walnut, chrome and Corian. All the manly bells and whistle are built-in too, including Control4 smart home automation, custom beer trough and acoustical features to prevent party noise from reaching the neighbours.

Fu-Tung Cheng, CHENG Design • Dining Space + Great Room, House 6 Concrete and Wood Home House 6, is Cheng Design’s sixth custom home project, was redesigned and constructed from top-to-bottom. The project represents a major career milestone thanks to the unique and innovative use of concrete, as this residence is one of Cheng Design’s first-ever ‘hybrid’ structures, constructed as a combination of wood and concrete. Photography: Matthew Millman

Polished concrete floors. Exposed cypress timber beam ceiling. Big Ass Fan. Accordian doors. Indoor/outdoor design. Exposed HVAC duct work. Great room design. LEED Platinum home. Photos by Matt McCorteney.

This mountain vacation residence places the living and sleeping space for a family of three on the main level with guest bedrooms, recreation rooms, and garage below. The sloped site allows approach and entry on the main level, achieving the appearance of a one-story house. The scheme is an L-shaped, open-plan building containing primary living space covered with a shed roof. This configuration forms a “courtyard” facing southeast, which contains the main entry. Intersected with the shed roof component the mudroom, bedroom, and master closet and bath are contained in “cabins” of stone with arced roofs. The roof support at the northwest corner has been eliminated to allow a sliding glass system which, when open, voids the corner of the family room. This allows the living space to extend onto an elevated concrete terrace overlooking the view. The result is a living environment that distinguishes public from private uses with form and space, provides outdoor areas of contrasting characteristics in a place of sharp seasonal contrast, and creates an image that blends with the landscape.

Photos By Simple Photography
ヒューストンにある高級な小さなコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビングロフト (白い壁、コンクリートの床) の写真

サンディエゴにある高級な小さなコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビングロフト (コンクリートの床、壁掛け型テレビ) の写真

ハンプシャーにあるコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなLDK (白い壁、コンクリートの床、薪ストーブ、据え置き型テレビ、グレーの床) の写真

ローマにある高級な広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなLDK (白い壁、コンクリートの床、横長型暖炉、壁掛け型テレビ、白い床) の写真

Personal residence for one of the 3 partners at our firm. This home sits cleanly into its woodland surroundings with its dark stained vertical cedar siding. Much attention was paid to the flitch plate detailing at post caps and bases. The heating system is radiant tubes in the acid etched concrete slab. Flat Cor-ten steel was used for the fireplace chase above the roof and the interior wrap.

Tim Brown Photography
他の地域にあるラグジュアリーな中くらいなコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなLDK (白い壁、コンクリートの床、標準型暖炉、石材の暖炉まわり) の写真

Copper work by An Original. This home was built by Platinum Homes, and designed by Bianca Olsson of Est Est.
フェニックスにある広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (ベージュの壁、コンクリートの床、標準型暖炉、石材の暖炉まわり、テレビなし) の写真

JAF
ロサンゼルスにある高級な中くらいなコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビングロフト (ライブラリー、マルチカラーの壁、コンクリートの床、コンクリートの暖炉まわり、埋込式メディアウォール、コーナー設置型暖炉) の写真

他の地域にある高級な広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (コンクリートの床、薪ストーブ、レンガの暖炉まわり、埋込式メディアウォール、グレーの床、格子天井、レンガ壁) の写真

Audrey Hall and RN Design
他の地域にある広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (白い壁、コンクリートの床、暖炉なし、テレビなし) の写真

他の地域にある高級な広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (コンクリートの床、薪ストーブ、レンガの暖炉まわり、埋込式メディアウォール、グレーの床、格子天井、レンガ壁) の写真

Polished concrete floors. Exposed cypress timber beam ceiling. Big Ass Fan. Accordian doors. Indoor/outdoor design. Exposed HVAC duct work. Great room design. LEED Platinum home. Photos by Matt McCorteney.