Cecilia Road | Matthew Wood Architects

This is a very small but finely tuned garden extension. The client used the existing space as a home office but wanted a little more space with a stronger connection to their beautiful garden. They also wanted to have a walk-in shower which feels like a shower in the garden.

We extended the office into the garden so that the ground level finished level with the desk and created a frameless corner window. The shower, which projects discreetly sideways from the original space, has a 3-sided full height frameless glass corner and roof providing the sense of being outside without exposing the user.

The shower has a secret ventilation door which disappears into the external cladding when shut, but allows the fresh garden air into the shower to further simulate the outdoor shower experience.

Externally, the building is clad in black-stained timber in reference to the vernacular shed and garden buildings, which sit comfortably within the landscaping and flora.

Internally, the materiality has a much stronger sense of permanence and solidity. The shower area is formed from in-situ exposed concrete with a pebble tile floor. It is highly textural; akin to showering under a waterfall on the edge of a cave looking out into the landscape beyond.