A Home Unfurls to Embrace the Landscape
This curvaceous addition to a historic Australia home opens up as it extends out into the light-filled yard
Historic homes come preloaded with history and character, but cellular rooms and small windows can leave you feeling confined and enclosed. This addition at the back of a Sydney house built during Australia’s Federation period (1890 to 1915) replaces a previous addition. Unfurled House, as it is called, is a series of light-filled, interconnected, double-height spaces that spill into the backyard and capture glimpses of the surrounding landscape.
Ground floor plan
There’s an immediate distinction between old and new when moving from the original home at the front of the property into the new rear addition. The four rooms of the original home have been converted into three bedrooms and a second living space, not pictured here.
Something you can’t see in these photos is the attention to detail, including acoustically engineered noise-reduction features. While having an airport so close to the city is great for travelers, it’s not so good for light sleepers and maintaining a peaceful indoor environment. Airplane noise is a big problem for large parts of Sydney, but it’s much less of a problem here thanks to these noise-blocking measures.
Something you can’t see in these photos is the attention to detail, including acoustically engineered noise-reduction features. While having an airport so close to the city is great for travelers, it’s not so good for light sleepers and maintaining a peaceful indoor environment. Airplane noise is a big problem for large parts of Sydney, but it’s much less of a problem here thanks to these noise-blocking measures.
A courtyard to the north makes the most of what little light can be captured over a neighboring property. The effect is a light-filled bridge between old and new, with a split-level staircase leading down to an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, or up to a study and master bedroom suite.
The clients were drawn to architect Christopher Polly after admiring the relaxed, modern-living sensibilities of one his previous projects, the Elliott Ripper House. This project certainly captures that spirit to create a livable and beautiful family home.
The clients were drawn to architect Christopher Polly after admiring the relaxed, modern-living sensibilities of one his previous projects, the Elliott Ripper House. This project certainly captures that spirit to create a livable and beautiful family home.
Ceiling fans are found throughout the home, just one of the sustainability measures used. Capitalizing on Sydney’s benign climate, the home can open up to the outdoors for large portions of the year. Careful placement of windows maximizes the effectiveness of the fans to draw breezes through the home for those hot, sticky summer days.
The walls are also heavily insulated to lock in winter heat and keep summer heat outside, where it belongs. The heavy thermal mass of the concrete, cross-ventilation potential and hoods and blinds over the windows keep the home comfortable year-round with little need for additional heating and cooling.
The walls are also heavily insulated to lock in winter heat and keep summer heat outside, where it belongs. The heavy thermal mass of the concrete, cross-ventilation potential and hoods and blinds over the windows keep the home comfortable year-round with little need for additional heating and cooling.
Instinct draws you down the stairs toward the lush backyard, where the impact of a curved overhead void is revealed. Hovering above the living and dining area, this sculptural opening bounces light deep into the space. The living area’s charcoal-burnished concrete floor soaks up the winter sun to keep the house warm and provides a dramatic, earthy contrast to the all-white walls. Blackbutt veneer in the kitchen adds touches of warmth to the restrained palette.
Uplights: Wedgie, Tovo Lighting; dining chairs: walnut, Thonet; pendants: FlowerPot VP2, Verner Panton
Uplights: Wedgie, Tovo Lighting; dining chairs: walnut, Thonet; pendants: FlowerPot VP2, Verner Panton
Second floor plan
Upstairs, a study provides gorgeous views of the treetops. While physically separate from the open-plan living area downstairs, the study is still connected to the rest of the home. This allows a parent to sneak off to finish some work while still keeping an ear on the kids below.
The curvaceous void is certainly dramatic, but it serves a number of practical purposes as well. The open spaces connect levels and rooms to one another and the outdoors.
The home consequently feels much larger than its restrained footprint. Each part of the addition borrows space visually from other areas, either above, below, across or outside. Essentially what Polly has created is a series of layered, overlapped spaces that feel intimate but not cramped. It’s this sense of freedom that most suits the clients’ lifestyle. The home has room for this young family to grow into.
The home consequently feels much larger than its restrained footprint. Each part of the addition borrows space visually from other areas, either above, below, across or outside. Essentially what Polly has created is a series of layered, overlapped spaces that feel intimate but not cramped. It’s this sense of freedom that most suits the clients’ lifestyle. The home has room for this young family to grow into.
Also upstairs, this bathroom enjoys an overhead void to bathe users in natural light. Polly says the clients had a helping hand in selecting the interior finishes in the living room, bathroom, en suite and kitchen, imbuing their home with touches of their personalities.
Floor tiles: Azulej-Mutina, porcelain, Academy Tiles; wall tiles: subway ceramic, Kiwi White gloss, Academy Tiles; toilet: Kado Lux, Reece
Floor tiles: Azulej-Mutina, porcelain, Academy Tiles; wall tiles: subway ceramic, Kiwi White gloss, Academy Tiles; toilet: Kado Lux, Reece
The master bedroom suite is separated from the children’s bedrooms to create a sense of a parents’ retreat. The room takes in views of the roofs and treetops and has a remarkable sense of calm. With a window seat nook to enjoy the light, the hideaway is the perfect place to escape at the end of a long day.
Remarkably, the addition takes up no more space than the previous rear addition and deck. This was an important part of the project for the clients; with three young boys, they understandably wanted to retain as much backyard as possible. It was also important not to encroach on the backyard too much, to minimize the impact on a neighbor.
Cladding: Shadowclad plywood, Gunnersen; roofing: Klip-Lok Classic 700, Surfmist, Colorbond
Cladding: Shadowclad plywood, Gunnersen; roofing: Klip-Lok Classic 700, Surfmist, Colorbond
Polly loves how “the house connects to its landscape, how it captures and mediates natural light, and how it enables connections across various interior spaces.” With the large sliding door open at the back, the house blurs into the garden, creating one large indoor-outdoor space for the kids and adults to enjoy. This home has “unfurled” to create the perfect relaxed lifestyle for a young family.
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Who lives here: Two adults, three young boys and Jemima the cat
Location: Sydney
Size: 1,883 square feet (175 square meters); four bedrooms, two bathrooms
Architect: Christopher Polly Architect
That’s interesting: See if you can spot the three “wedges” at the rear of the home that create space for a daybed, a reading area and an urban version of a shed.