WG House

The idea of creating just another contemporary ‘box’ was not on the mind of either the architects or their clients when planning a new house in a bayside suburb of Melbourne. The owners, a couple with two children, could have modified the existing architect-designed house on their 1,000-square-metre site. But it had not weathered well, even though just 20 years old, with the timber windows and eaves suffering the effects of the salt air. This house also lacked natural light and was poorly orientated on the site, having a northern aspect to the street. “Our brief was to fundamentally create a ‘home’, a place they could enjoy living in,” says architect David Carabott, founding director of CHT Architects. “They were also looking for a place that provided for multi-generational living,” he adds.

The large two-level home, with basement-level car parking, has the silhouette of a house with a distinctive pitched roof, not dissimilar to a children’s drawing representing the archetypal house. But instead of small windows, here there are generous glazed walls articulated below a steel roof that extends to the ground and expressed as walls either side. Raked ceilings (reaching up to 9 metres in height) and internal voids add to the sculptural feel of the house. These elements transform the traditional house form into something that’s contemporary and importantly, light filled (a central courtyard allows northern light to permeate the core). Spanish porcelain bricks (cream on the outside and charcoal black inside) add to the sense of craftsmanship. And to ensure privacy while allowing light to penetrate, a reflective high-performance glass was used.

So, rather than one long and continuous floor plan, the WG house features an internal courtyard that’s accessed from the formal living room on one side, and the open plan kitchen, dining and living area on the other. And at the front of the house (at ground level) is a self-contained abode, with its own access through what appears to be a fixed timber-panelled wall, and a swimming pool in the back garden. CHT Architects was also mindful of creating a ‘forever house’ for these clients. While not obvious from the street, this house maximises the use of the basement level which includes parking for five cars, a fully equipped gymnasium and a home theatre, the latter including a wine cellar. And on the top level are three bedrooms, including the main bedroom with its walk-in dressing area and ensuite.

Pivotal to CHT Architects’ design is the degree of transparency through the house, something that’s only fully revealed once past the front door. The unusual ‘floating’ open fireplace, with its suspended steel flue and brick hearth at the centre of the informal living area, is clearly visible upon arrival. “Frank Lloyd Wright had a saying that , the hearth is the psychological centre of the home” says Carabott. As important to this design was the outdoors, with a garden by Jack Merlo and a commissioned life-size sculpture 'Laura's Dance' by artist Dagmar Cyrulla that now takes pride of place in the central courtyard but can be appreciated from all the internal spaces, both at ground and first level, that surround it.

Although not conceived as ‘sculpture’, at least in the traditional sense, there is a feeling of a sculptured effect in the kitchen that includes a concealed butler’s pantry, finished in stainless steel. Comprising a heavily veined black marble island bench and a splashback, the kitchen, with its dark-stained joinery appears to have been carved out of the open plan living areas.

CHT Architects worked closely with SORA, its interior design team and Detail Furniture and Lighting, its bespoke furniture procurement business on this project. It further polished this ‘gem’ by including spotted gum timber-battened walls that assist in emphasizing the home’s volumes. Limestone floors in the informal areas also extend to the courtyard and terraces to lengthen the sight lines and further blur the divisions between inside and out. Some of the spaces, such as the home theatre and wine cellar are dark and moody, while other areas, such as the open plan living areas, celebrate the materials, in particular the dark Spanish brick walls, creating a warm and textured backdrop. There was also an opportunity on this design to include lighting that’s not only functional, but also artistic, with the dramatic light over the staircase evoking a string of pearls.

The WG house is certainly not the conventional contemporary box in a coveted bayside street. And nor does it represent the naivete of a house drawn by a child. It’s a highly complex home that has been designed with great care and attention to detail, allowing for a ‘home’ in the true sense of the word: one that allows an extended family to both come together, and importantly, the ability to have their own spaces, unique ones at that.

FFandE Details
• All the Brickwork by PGH
• Appliances E & S, Michaels of Brighton and Whispair
• Tapware by Roger Seller
• Most Feature tiling by Cerdomus
• Stone by Caesarstone & Victoria Stone Gallery
• Timber Cladding by Porta
• Fireplace by is a JC Bordelet Eva 992 supplier and installed by Woodpecker with a custom architecturally designed brick base
• Lift is by Lift Shop in Richmond.
• Invogue Doors custom made the Front door and some internal doors.

- Flooring is a Limestone Tundra a Natural Stone with a honed and brushed finish for inside and outside.
- Cladding is an Aluminium Standing Seam