Fisher Parade House

The project brief was to create spacious and contemporary design for a family home with good views overlooking the Farm Cove waterfront.  

Options to remove and rebuild or to renovate the existing house were considered. We decided to retain part of the existing brick walls as the most sustainable design approach. In areas where extension work was involved, existing walls were demolished and replaced by a combination of new concrete masonry walls and timber framed walls.

Existing pink weatherboards were replaced with vertical shiplap cedar in charcoal stain. We had wanted to retain the existing 70s brown clinker brick as they not only provide a rich textural juxtaposition to the new white masonry walls but also gives character to the house and informs of the history of the place. 

Interior walls which separated the kitchen, dining and living were removed for an open plan layout. Thus creating a much more spacious environment. The design intention was to have the windows become the paintings, as they frame the landscapes outside, bringing nature into the house.

The space is filled with abundant daylighting and enjoys an intimate connection with nature. A natural palette of white and beech timber is used throughout the house. 

If the house was a stage, the people become the main characters, their movement through the house becomes the drama in the space while different colours and qualities of light are revealed at different times of the day. From the crisp morning light shafts streaming in, to mellow golden tones of sunset in the evenings, the mood of the space shifts with the interplay of light and shadow. It is only white walls that can reveal the colour of light.

Within site limitations and budget, a light, timeless and poetic space has been created.   

Lighting design in collaboration with Superlight ApS, Copenhagen.

Images by photographer David Cowlard.