Crescent Head house is a pared back one bedroom home with generous and dynamic spaces, designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects for a couple.
The house is expressed as a very simple single storey weatherboard box from the street.
It sits on a stone base, which drops away to house a three bedroom apartment for guests on the garden side.
The spatial planning of the main house is open and flowing, with downplayed delineation between bedroom, bathroom, and other areas.
Given the space was used by a couple, there was no need for the typical separation of rooms.
The entry area is sky-lit and the front door glazed to create a welcoming, though understated street address.
A sense of light and openness is embraced throughout.
Natural vaulted timber ceilings fold out from the entry area and enhance the beautiful ocean and mountain views.
The house is located on a hill nestled amongst other houses.
There are many pitched roofs in the surrounding context.
Madeleine Blanchfield Architects took the pattern of pitching visible from a distance and inverted it.
The house has a flat roof line, but the angled underside relates to the surrounding structures.
Planning controls in the local area have recently changed and the height / bulk permitted on Madeleine Blanchfield Architects client’s site is distinctly greater than the existing neighbouring dwellings.
So they had to work to minimise the obtrusiveness of the house while maximising the clients amenity and responding to the existing conditions.
It is likely that existing adjacent dwellings will be upgraded and made larger so this had to be factored in too.
The house is honest and humble from the street with an increasing sense of drama as the main living space, with its playfully folded timber ceiling, is revealed.
The voluminous spaces enhance the appreciation of views and natural surroundings.
Entering the main space on has a sense of arrival and of a shedding of the outside world to arrive in a private, but open and joyful cocoon.
The lower level apartment has polished concrete floors, Australian hardwood internal doors, and solid timber benches and details in the bathrooms.
It has a large, high ceilinged living/dining/kitchen space which blurs the boundary between inside and outside and has a sense of living in the outdoors/camping.
The project treats the house as a whole, rather than separating the interiors and the architecture.
Its use of materiality and volume are driven by the site, views, sunlight and the environment.
Cross ventilation, solar protection, heat sinks, and the use of locally sourced materials were all fundamental to the design.
Raw concrete floors and minimal finishes in bathrooms address the brief for a pared back and honest character.
They are also thoughtfully sustainable in the minimal wastage and layering of materials over each other.
The budget was also kept down by minimising the layering and superficiality of materials.
The construction and materials are simple, cost effective, but impeccably detailed.
Working remotely with local builders and joiners required sensitivity to the techniques and materials available for use and efficient communication of the design intent.
Project Team
Architecture and Interior Design
Madeleine Blanchfield Architects
Madeleine Blanchfield Architects love design and are especially passionate about houses. They are a studio of eight architects and interior designers.
Since 2009, the practice has been based in Paddington, Sydney.
Prior to starting her own practice, Madeleine was Associate Director at one of Sydney’s leading architecture and interior design firms for almost a ten years.
Photography
Robert Walsh
Robert is Sydney-based commercial photographer specialising in architecture and interiors.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Madeleine Blanchfield Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Robert Walsh. All Rights Reserved.
Get the Builtworks Letter
In every edition of the Builtworks Letter, you’ll get the behind-the-scenes backstory as to how buildings, structures, and places are designed, built, and brought to life.
You’ll hear compelling stories, learn surprising ideas, meet engaging characters, and discover unique voices.