Oktober 2014 - house design

Making the Most of a Slope: Nevair Court, Highton, by JAM Architects

When you picture a perfect indoor/outdoor house in your dreams, it might well look like this Nevair Court family home in Highton, by JAM Architects. Overlooking Australia’s Barrabool Hills, the house is set on a steep incline overlooking the Moorabool River valley, terrain that presents its own challenges even without trying to accommodate north-facing views, outdoor living space, and a need for privacy! Nevertheless, this contemporary space has it all, from smooth modern lines to casual, neutral décor and no-nonsense comfort, an uncluttered style that encourages barefoot relaxation from the moment you step inside. Expansive glass is a focal point, allowing great vistas and floods of natural light; even a corner of the living room is virtually an unbroken panorama to enjoy by day or night.

Both house and landscape are structured in a series of levels, with slatted screens to provide privacy over bedrooms and baths and a façade of steel-gray that seems to grow naturally out of the rough, boulder-filled terrain beneath it. In fact, rock and stone here form an elegant décor element all their own: witness the terraced retaining walls next to the driveway and the clever stone mailbox! Hardy, drought-resistant plants dot the hillsides and the rough surface with welcome green; more green borders the elegant pool and provides a nice edging for concrete paving stones that lead around toward an outdoor barbecue and dining area. Understated and unfussy in its approach, this home makes the most of a limited lot, tames the slope, and gives owners a terrific entertaining space with multiple options…from JAM.

Bartow Point House by Rethink Design Studio

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Sit down, relax, and put your feet up; it’s no doubt the first thing that enters your mind when you see the homeowner doing just that in this traditional dwelling with deft modern touches by Rethink Design Studio. A Savannah, Georgia, family of four looked to update their riverfront home; with custom-designed furniture and clever use of the palette, Rethink has “rethought” the décor into fresh, clean lines and contemporary ambience. Case in point: the comfy lounge area, seen from above, is a perfect amalgam of homey traditional details and modern coloration, its walls a pearly off-white brightened by tall windows from Tallahassee roofing. Warm wood grain, paired with a central brick fireplace, gives the room a serene feeling that invites relaxation, while the styles of coffee table and handy fireplace “poufs” are pure contemporary fun.

An open-plan kitchen with marble-topped table is only steps away from the couches; a cleverly angled wall nook houses a piece or two of art, shelving space, and a blackboard for a family “hub” that’s head and shoulders above the ordinary. A large center island encourages more than one cook to rub elbows in the space; the palette of off-white and charcoal carries through to drawers beneath the island and to walls of cabinetry that contribute to a beautiful uncluttered look. Touches of bright color in framed artwork and a nifty red mixer keep the palette from being bland, while clerestory windows and reflected light from the living room keep it from being too dark. A traditional remake that gives a growing family plenty of options: that’s this Bartow Point Drive home by Rethink Design Studio.

Floor-Level Windows Make for a Unique CZZ House by Vanguarda

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Take a minimalist design; materials such as stone, masonry, and glass, and interesting angles and positions for windows, and you have this unique “look” in a one-story home from Vanguarda Architects. The home, made up basically of a “box,” differentiates spaces within and without by means of clever detail and floor-level glass that helps break up an unrelieved wall of stone here, affording a great backyard “bower” feel there. And, in an area where space is at a premium — note how close neighboring houses are — this solid façade and that glass, give the owners a privacy they wouldn’t have with more traditional style picture windows, or even bay windows at normal levels. Ingeniously enough, the glass also serves as a connector between master suite and outside.

The front entrance is conveniently covered by an overhanging roof; enjoy the surprise of an internal courtyard, its stone patio surface holding a mini-garden of planters, and its presence a neat divider (and a source of light!) between private and public parts of the home. At the back of the house, you’ll find the heart of family gatherings and entertaining: a kitchen, living room, and dining room, illuminated both by the expanses of glass across the back, and by windows off the interior courtyard. Surrounded by climbing green, a pergola shelters the deck with its stone barbecue, a clever reiteration of the front stone wall. This wing of the home also includes guest quarters and a powder room, laundry, and a study. Simplicity itself, with simple materials: that’s CZZ house by Vanguarda.

A Johannesburg Crown Jewel of Luxury: Glass House by Nico van der Meulen

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For a client desiring a “contemporary mansion” that provided an “informal lifestyle on a grand scale,” Nico van der Meulen’s design presents soaring volumes and high style. The home includes a small formal lounge with intimate conversational space, an open-plan family room, dining space for 20, and smaller breakfast room. Also part of this space are a kitchen with pantry; walk-in coolers; a lanai, bar, and indoor/outdoor pool; and a gym, billiards room, and home cinema. Smaller kids are taken care of with a splash pool, plus a playroom next to the kitchen, and finishing off this “grand scale” is parking space for 14 cars plus a staff cottage. From a water feature at its core, the house spreads out in a horseshoe, with frameless glass folding doors from dining room to atrium, family room, lanai, and gym.

Amazingly enough, with six suites, staff cottage, and indoor/outdoor living as a constant, climate control is no problem. The staircase sits over a solar-heated pond that, together with the indoor pool and heat storage tanks, helps keep the interior of the home at a constant temperature all winter. Clever use of exterior beams keeps the interiors of the master suite open, without the need for corner supports…but that’s just a technical way to explain an interior that’s airy, flowing, and lavish. Suites have privacy and seclusion without feeling “cut off” from the remainder of the home, and access between spaces is effortless. It’s safe to say that in this gleaming Glass House, the clients ticked off every item on their wish list for a home to dream of, thanks to Nico van der Meulen.