The Ultimate Ultra-Modern Masterpiece
It’s truly mind-blowing what we can achieve with a narrow block, and this sophisticated residence is certainly no exception. This custom-built home is a reimagining of the classic red-brick box house, with a sleek mixed-materials exterior, adding depth and character to the home. At the same time, high-end finishes and clever design elements throughout give this home a luxurious, elevated feel.
We were challenged throughout the project with a narrow block and an ambitious brief. The client wanted to create a two-storey home with four bedrooms, as well as a study, ensuites, separate bathrooms, a generous open-plan living area, a wine cellar, and even a cinema. Moving outside, the brief also incorporated a pool, alfresco dining area, a pool house, and a double garage; not an easy feat within such a small block.
Entering from the street, the home’s futuristic façade makes a lasting impression, with striking Alucobond matte sheet cladding and aluminium interlocking cladding in matte black. The sleek metal cladding is juxtaposed with grey polished concrete and a timber door, creating the perfect balance of the natural world and the man-made.
The timber flows through the home effortlessly, with European oak flooring throughout. This carries through to the living and dining areas, while generous high ceilings help the home feel spacious. The corridor leads to a sleek, contemporary kitchen where no modern comfort has been forgotten. We also added immaculate timber veneer cabinetry to provide ample storage space and continue the minimalistic design scheme.
In typical Australian fashion, the living space flows outside to the alfresco area, where large sliding doors allow light to wash the space in light and air and a barbecue is ready to fire up outside. The alfresco area and fully tiled pool and spa is compact, yet large enough for the client’s entertaining needs. Meanwhile, the neatly landscaped garden complements the home’s compact, minimalistic design. Ultimately, this home was built for convenience; whether that means entertaining, relaxing with family, or enjoying some quiet time.
Despite the narrow block, we collaborated with Peter Wright Architects to play with the proportions of the home and ensure that, above all, the home felt luxuriously lofty. This required rigorous planning and a meticulous sense of attention to detail. A grandiose staircase, in timber veneer to match the kitchen, sweeps upstairs, its design radiating the impression of a much larger home. Upstairs, the generous bedrooms are accompanied by separate bathrooms, where substantial skylights have been utilised to let sunlight stream in.
Meanwhile, downstairs we faced sandy soil and a basement that needed to be constructed below sea level. This meant continuous care and diligence needed to be maintained during the construction process to ensure the area remained dry.
Throughout the home, we added all the modern luxuries the client required; from hydronic heating to electric heating and cooling to a sleek fireplace and solar electric panels to reduce the home’s impact on our planet. Large full height doors and high ceilings throughout as well as large commercial grade thermally broken windows throughout ensured a generous sense of space.
From my first meeting with Pete and his team, I immediately felt comfortable that we would be a great fit. Their organisation, professionalism, and ability to think outside the box were all critical. This allowed the team to not just meet the agreed timeframe and budget but allowed for refinement of key design and living elements throughout, meaning that at handover I had no regrets and the home met all of my needs.
A genuine care and desire to deliver a premium end result by Secon and its staff was matched by all the team engaged. That, combined with open communication and encouragement for me to genuinely be an active participant, meant that the entire building process was a memorable experience, not just the day I received the keys.
