The beauty of having an architect in the family is that client consultations needn’t be restricted to regular working hours. It also enables the architect, in this case Madeleine Blanchfield, to enjoy the result of their labours.
Expanses of lawn cool the air before it enters the house, adding to the property’s energy efficiency.
The landscaping at this NSW South Coast home is designed to integrate with the architecture.
“It’s lovely to be able to head to the coast on the weekend and stay in a house that I’m extremely proud of,” says Madeleine, who designed the home for her retiree parents, Frank and Barbara. “The existing brick house on the site, built some time in the 1970s, was totally featureless,” Madeleine adds. “It had been added to ad-hoc over the years and really wasn’t salvageable.”
A Louis Poulsen ‘PH5’ pendant light from Finnish Design Shop makes a striking statement over the dining table. Wishbone chairs, Cult. B&B Italia sofa, Space. Burnished-concrete flooring (throughout).
The home is located at Bendalong, just over three hours’ drive south of Sydney on the NSW South Coast. Drawn to the region’s mix of tranquil bush, idyllic bays and pristine surf beaches, Frank and Barbara, then Canberra residents, intended to use the home as a weekender. Given the location and the Mid-Century kit-home style architecture that is so prevalent in this part of the world, they opted for a relatively modest building and a limited materials palette.
Clean-lined furnishings are in keeping with the home’s overall Mid-Century-influenced style.
“We wanted the home to be laidback, understated and honest,” says Madeleine. It was also important that the house be robust enough to withstand the salt air and powerful southerly winds of the coastal climate, as well as bushfires, which are a constant threat in the region.
European Biscuit sisal rug, International Floorcoverings. Fusion day bed, BoConcept. European Biscuit sisal rug, International Floorcoverings.
From the street, the house reads as a single-storey glass-walled pavilion. “The home is elevated on a podium to enhance the water views without impacting the neighbours,” says Madeleine. “It also gives the living areas a little more privacy.” Beyond the main pavilion, which contains a vast open-plan kitchen/dining/living area, is a discreet two-storey wing at the rear that accommodates the home’s four bedrooms (two upstairs, two downstairs) and two bathrooms. A TV room marks the transition point between public and private spaces.
Stools and similar Malawi chair from Orient House. Escea fireplace. Moooi ‘Non Random’ pendant light, Space. Sisal rug, International Floorcoverings.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the design is the series of timber-battened external screens covering large panels of glass. The screens are independently operable and pivot up to 90 degrees, so can be easily adjusted to control the amount of light and/or privacy required. The screens are just one of the property’s many passive-solar design features.
Counter stools from Thonet. The joinery is finished in Navurban Auchen Flower veneer. The island benchtop is made from plywood and timber veneer; the wall-side bench is polished stainless steel. Icon tapware, Astra Walker.
“The bulk of the house is pushed to the southern side of the site, allowing for a north-facing garden,” explains Madeleine. “The concrete floor acts as a heat sink, while deep eaves and the screens provide shading from the hot sun. Every room has good cross-ventilation and the materials were sustainably and locally sourced where possible. A photovoltaic array captures solar energy, and the landscaping is integrated with the architecture.”
Inax ‘Yohen’ finger mosaic tiles, Artedomus. Custom vanity. Tapware, Astra Walker. Terrazzo flooring in Dove Grey, Fibonacci Stone.
Inside, the materials take centrestage. White-painted steel beams are a feature in the kitchen/dining area and are beautifully complemented by expanses of warm timber veneer in the kitchen and birch-ply on the living-zone ceiling and the TV room’s joinery. “This is a place for relaxing, so I chose very low-maintenance materials and included flexible, easy-to-use spaces that people of all ages would enjoy,” says Madeleine.
Rosa Mode bath, ACS Designer Bathrooms. Tapware, Astra Walker. Savoy Crystal wall tiles, Skheme. Ciottolo Grande terrazzo flooring, Inigo Jones.
One of the most popular places to hang out is the protected terrace. “We all gravitate to this terrace, particularly during the warmer months,” says Madeleine. The kitchen, which includes a 5-metre-long island bench, is another favoured spot.
The built-in barbecue is Frank’s handiwork. Dining table and chairs from Cosh Living.
Madeleine says the whole family is thrilled with the way the home has turned out. Especially Frank and Barbara, who have now made this home their full-time residence. “In some ways, being inside this house feels like camping – where you’re at one with the outdoors, but protected only by a light shelter,” says Madeleine. “That feeling makes me even more conscious of the fragility of the environment around here. I think it makes all of us appreciate it more too.” madeleineblanchfield.com; sanderscp.com.au
The main living pavilion is elevated on a podium to make the most of the property’s views. It is framed by an expanse of manicured lawn and a raised garden bed filled with oleander and pigface, the latter cascading prettily over the edges of the planter.
