The owners of this Cottesloe site loved the gabled form and expressed structure of Barn House designed by Clayton Orszaczky in collaboration with Alwill Interiors and Dangar Barin Smith, so they called on the same group to design their own new house.
Instead of being located on a triangular block in Bondi however, the new client’s site was a rectangular block in Cottesloe, Western Australia, with neighbours on either side.
‘The challenge here was to site the house to allow in the light to the north and connect the garden to the home in a meaningful way,’ says Michelle Orszaczky, director at Clayton Orszaczky. ‘It was an opportunity for us to take ideas from a previous project and develop them for a new place in a new state.’
Responding to the vastly different climatic conditions, Gabled House wraps around a central courtyard that’s both a ‘sunlight sink’ (bringing northern light into the house) and a place to sit completely sheltered from the wind. All living areas feature garden outlooks as a result, most notably the dining room and kids lounge surrounded by garden spaces on three sides.
These rooms (nicknamed the garden pavilions) are partially separated from the open-plan areas of the home by a recycled brick spine – a strong masonry element that runs the entire length of the house. ‘It baffles and reflects the northern sun, separates the pavilions and adds a solidity reminiscent of a colonnade,’ says Michelle. Oversized pivot doors allow visual and physical connection throughout the entire house as required.
Materials are similar to the Barn House palette, providing a refreshing point of difference among the Cottesloe housing landscape. ‘We discovered that building in Perth was much more masonry focussed. This appears to be changing,’ says Michelle. ‘The house is essentially black white and timber. The client loved tactile warm finishes and this home is very much about that.’
While visually similar to the Barn House, Gabled House is an entirely different home unique to its site, environment and Western Australian locale. The project was designed almost entirely remotely – a testament to the relationship between Alwill Interiors, Dangar Barin Smith, Wandoo Building Company and the trusting client.
