Horizon House | Taylor Knights

Situated on a steeply sloping site with an eight-metre fall, Horizon House by Taylor Knights is a refined response to complex terrain and a tightly considered brief. Designed for a professional couple, the home offers just enough space for daily life, with room to host extended family from overseas — all within a modest, efficient footprint.

The original house, disconnected from its surrounding landscape and structurally unsound, was removed to make way for a new form that could better engage with the site. The solution embeds the architecture into the land’s contours, using the slope to define distinct zones while maintaining a strong connection between interior spaces and the surrounding garden.

Entry is via a long, existing driveway, with the lower level set into the slope. This ground floor accommodates a bathroom, laundry, powder room, and two flexible-use spaces, one a home office, the other a guest retreat. A garage sits between the two zones, helping to segment the plan and create privacy.

Above, the first floor acts as a self-contained living space for the couple. Large sliding doors allow the plan to flex, offering open living during the day and intimacy at night. The upper level follows the geometry of the angled block, with the kitchen, dining, and lounge spaces oriented to take in distant city views. On the north, full-height glazing opens to a garden terrace, blurring the threshold between inside and out.

Materially, the home balances robustness and warmth. The lower level is wrapped in dark brick, anchoring the home visually and physically to the site. In contrast, the upper floor is lighter, with interiors defined by timber joinery, blackened pine ceilings, and a bold green marble spine that conceals the stair and services.

Landscape, plays an integral role in softening the geometry of the building. Meandering steps guide movement through the garden, while planting enhances privacy and creates calm spaces for rest and reflection. The garden is not ornamental but spatial actively shaping how the home is experienced and used.

At just 24 square metres of additional floor area, Horizon House is a study in restraint. It prioritises flexibility, spatial efficiency, and enduring materiality. The result is a home that is compact yet expansive in feeling deeply connected to its site, and attuned to the evolving needs of its occupants.