Residence C&J | Open Studio Architecture

The essence of the brief was to renovate a three storey house for contemporary use. The house, designed by architects Harry Sprintz and John F Burgess in 1967, is a beautiful example of modernist design with light filled interiors, spacious open-planned living areas and extensive glazing overlooking the surrounding landscape. However, by the time the house was purchased in 2008 by the current owners, successive incongruous alterations had diminished its original modern clarity

Living & Working: While the basis of the original residential programme remains valid (living, sleeping areas, etc...), ways of inhabiting a house have changed. Working from home for instance, has become an important function of some residences. In this case, both clients required spaces for work and meetings

Open Plan Living Spaces: The kitchen, originally an independent space, had to be connected to the living areas. The configuration of the new kitchen avoids the conventional open kitchen in favour of a more subtle solution. The removal of part of a wall permitted a fluid space (entry-living-dining-kitchen). All the services and storage areas are concentrated in a timber finished central pod. This central core opens the kitchen zone to the views while concealing it from the living areas. The resulting spaces are intimate yet expansive

Finishes: The finishes throughout the project (white walls, composite stone and spray-paint joinery against natural timber veneer and parquetry) reinforce the original aesthetic of simplicity, making the unrestricted views the protagonist