With a specific request to incorporate simple, clean lines of a gable form, we started with that design in mind. The house consists of two parallel gables that we began referring to over the course of our work together as the public and the private gable.
The private gable contains the bedrooms, bathrooms and utility areas of the house. It runs down the back of the house, extended on from the garage, with a solid brick clad exterior.
The public gable is slightly larger, housing the living areas, dining room and the kitchen, opening out onto the deck and pool on the northern side of the house. It is made of a lightweight construction, timber cladding, and is opened with a raked ceiling that follows the form of the gable and gives the space a large, open feel. This carries out to the soffit, an overhang over the outdoor living area. You can sit outside comfortably while children are in the pool, keeping an eye on them and enjoying the view, while also not feeling too far removed from anything happening inside.
The two gables run parallel to each other, meeting in the middle with a central spine that connects them. A long corridor running the length of the house acts as the buffer zone between the private and public living zones, with a full-height window at the end framing a stunning view of the golf course. As you enter this home, you are greeted with this exceptional aspect along the hallway, down to the kitchen, through the living room and out towards the golf course and greenery beyond. Straight away you are drawn into the home and invited to come closer to take a look at the view.
Moving to the outside of the home, our challenge lay in how to create privacy from the road and protection from the wind, without putting up an unsightly wall. We created a semi private courtyard by cutting out a section of the public gable, so the outdoor living area is surrounded by the TV room and the dining room from which you can enjoy the north-facing view. As a result, the indoor and outdoor areas are visually connected. To keep the swimming pool from being seen from the road, we used a solid fence covered by a large hedge. As you approach the house you don’t realise that there is a pool out back – all you see is this gorgeous, green feature wall.
