Houzz Tour: Japanese-Style Courtyards Bring the Outdoors Inside
An extension and renovation inspired by traditional Japanese design makes the most of a family's love for indoor-outdoor living
Emily Hutchinson
29 September 2016
Houzz Australia Editorial Staff. I am always on the lookout for homes with that extra wow-factor to feature. I love hearing all about the design process behind these projects.
Houzz Australia Editorial Staff. I am always on the lookout for homes with that extra... More
With a focus on indoor-outdoor living, Ed Davis of Davis Architects designed a Japanese-inspired renovation and extension for this 1800s home in Sydney. The homeowners expressed their love for traditional Japanese architecture and Davis was keen to replicate this in a modern Australian inner-city setting. One of the ways he achieved this was by adding small courtyards throughout the home, accessed via sliding timber doors or panels. This has created a sense of warmth and texture in the home, and blurs the line between inside and out. “These ideas reflected how the clients saw themselves living and we wanted the house to respond deliberately to these aims,” says Davis.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Katrina and Alex Farrelly and their two young boys
Location: Sydney, NSW
Size: 182 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a detached studio
Budget: $650,000 for renovation and extension
In 2009, Davis built a detached studio in the backyard of this Sydney home, for the homeowners to use while renovations took place in the main house in 2014. It is now used as a guesthouse and entertainment area. The entire project was completed in 2015.
The studio houses a living area and small kitchen, a bathroom and a sleeping loft. It also contains the main laundry and important storage areas to meet the needs of the family, as well as a Japanese garden.
Who lives here: Katrina and Alex Farrelly and their two young boys
Location: Sydney, NSW
Size: 182 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a detached studio
Budget: $650,000 for renovation and extension
In 2009, Davis built a detached studio in the backyard of this Sydney home, for the homeowners to use while renovations took place in the main house in 2014. It is now used as a guesthouse and entertainment area. The entire project was completed in 2015.
The studio houses a living area and small kitchen, a bathroom and a sleeping loft. It also contains the main laundry and important storage areas to meet the needs of the family, as well as a Japanese garden.
Davis says the rear studio controls the outlook from the main house and provides privacy from neighbours. The site is a constrained inner-city block with neighbours in close proximity on three sides. “The main house is now engaged in a conversation with the studio across the main garden area,” says the designer.
Across the garden to the main house, the extension steals the show. There were some ad-hoc additions completed to the rear of the cottage in the early 1980s, but these additions created no connection to the garden or external entertaining spaces. The existing kitchen was located where the new living room is, and the space now includes the kitchen, living and dining areas.
In contrast to the cellular plan of the existing house, the new work was all about light, openness, texture, materials and lifestyle. Similar to the studio, Davis used timber to create warmth and texture in the room, with a large sliding door opening up the room to the rear garden.
In contrast to the cellular plan of the existing house, the new work was all about light, openness, texture, materials and lifestyle. Similar to the studio, Davis used timber to create warmth and texture in the room, with a large sliding door opening up the room to the rear garden.
One of the biggest challenges Davis faced with the design was the fact that the house faced east. To ensure it received winter sun from the north, maintained privacy, and had an expansive sense of space, he added vaulted ceilings to the living room and high-level glazing. “These large feature windows allow sun and breezes to enter the house at the key times of year and allow for an outlook through the neighbouring trees and beyond, without compromising the privacy of the new spaces,” he says.
The family loves to spend time outside, so it was important to create seamless indoor-outdoor living areas. Doors are designed to completely disappear when open so that the garden spaces and outdoor entertaining areas are visually pulled inside the house.
The homeowners wanted the kitchen to feel like it was part of the outdoor space and connected to the garden. Davis designed a kitchen that juts out into the garden like a peninsula. “We call it the ‘kitchen kiosk’,” he says. “It opens to both the garden and the outdoor covered living area, as well as connecting into the main living and dining rooms. Effectively, it interconnects or knits four spaces together.”
A nifty servery makes it easy for the kids to have snacks and drinks when they’re playing outside.
Environmental considerations were important to both the architect and homeowners. The new works were all slab-on-ground, which adds thermal mass to the extension. The amount of sunlight entering the home is also controlled, so the home warms up naturally in winter and stays cool in summer.
Other considerations include the use of solar panels, underground rainwater tanks, and sustainable materials such as recycled floorboards, doors and windows, all made from sustainable Australian hardwood. The design also includes energy-efficient lighting and low-VOC paints.
Other considerations include the use of solar panels, underground rainwater tanks, and sustainable materials such as recycled floorboards, doors and windows, all made from sustainable Australian hardwood. The design also includes energy-efficient lighting and low-VOC paints.
What Davis is most proud of, however, is the way the various courtyards create a multi-dimensional space. As you move through the house, the courtyards reveal themselves along the way. “I love to create intimate spaces within large open-plan spaces. That’s something that I think this house achieves,” he says.
The courtyards also allow the house to receive plenty of sunlight and to maximise airflow through the home.
A glass corridor connects the original section of the house with the new addition. “We wanted to pull off the horrendous early-1980s additions and place a new building that was physically separated from the existing house by the small courtyards and the glass bridge,” says Davis. “This design move meant that the existing house could be allowed to breathe and could be appreciated in its own right.”
The original part of the home houses the three bedrooms and the bathroom. The bathroom connects directly with the courtyard and looks out to the modern extension.
To further connect the two parts of the home, Davis continued the timber through to the bathroom. A retractable door can be opened or closed to enjoy the feeling of showering in fresh air.
One of the children’s bedrooms opens directly onto a separate courtyard located off the glass corridor, which lets in more light and ventilation. Fans were also added to each of the bedrooms.
Retaining the original details and character of the house creates a sense of history. These original features can be seen in the second of the children’s bedrooms.
The charm of the original architecture can also be seen in the master bedroom, but its contemporary cupboards and pendant lights keep it up to date.
TELL US
What do you think of this Japanese-inspired home in Sydney? Let us know in the Comments section.
What do you think of this Japanese-inspired home in Sydney? Let us know in the Comments section.
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SOOOO lovely!!!!
Kayse I lived in South Africa most of my life and doors and windows were rarely closed. The weather was so wonderful we just had to live outside and let the outside in. Here in Israel I live in a similar manner but here we have screens on most Windows and doors which keep creepy crawlies and flying insects out. But mostly I don't bother and they do not bother me too much. I just could not live without fresh air and never use an Air conditioner.
If only more homes incorporated these kinds of rooms! If it were a standard feature...I'd die.