Design Buy Build Issue 47 2020 | Page 7

As the property is located on a bend in the road , the site naturally fans out to a very generous west-facing garden , which was re-designed by Chelsea Flower Show goldmedallist garden designer Kate Gould .
“ A series of tall thin trees at the back of the property has been retained as a privacy screen and reinforced with new additional bamboo planting ” commented Guy Matheson . “ We ’ ve also retained a number of protected trees at the garden border . The designated tree protection zone determined the shape and length of the new basement , as it reaches out beneath the garden . The planners also asked for one metre of soil above the basement lid to allow for future flexibility for planting and also to retain rain water .”
DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND CREDITS :
The unusually extensive garden is a focal point of the new house and much of the space planning was based on maximising and integrating views out onto the garden , with all principal living quarters and bedrooms rear-facing . The designation of a formal front-of-house area for receiving guests and relaxed contemporary living to the rear and in the lower storeys for everyday use for the family occupants is expressed by the use of traditional cornicing and skirtings in the front-of-house area and highly contemporary finishes for the rest of the house .
“ There was an existing , low-ceilinged lower ground floor in the original house ” Guy Matheson explained . “ We then lowered this level to improve the sense of space and added an entirely new floor below this to house the new pool area , courtyard , plant and associated rooms below ground .”
The new house is now made up of five storeys : the lowerground level ( housing the pool and leisure areas ); the family-orientated garden level ( which opens directly out to the garden space and barbeque terrace at the rear via
" The unusually extensive garden is a focal point of the new house and much of the space planning was based on maximising and integrating views out onto the garden ."
bi-folding 2.4m x 4.5m glass doors leading out from the main family living space ); the upper garden level , which includes the formal reception room and roof terrace and a first and second floors , where most of the bedrooms are located .
As well as being architects on the scheme , SHH also planned all the interiors and designed all the joinery , lighting design , ceiling , wall and floor finishes , whilst all loose furniture and artworks were created or sourced by South African designer Craig Kaplan .
WALK-THROUGH : UPPER GARDEN LEVEL :
Arrival is at the front of the house , with the front door located half a level up from the gate / parking area via a concrete stair , so that the owners or guests enter the house at the upper garden level . The door then leads into a double-height lobby ( lit from a skylight above ) and cloakroom area , which connects , via 2.4m tall glazed doors , with the home ’ s formal reception area .
“ A grand sense of volume is the key to this space , as to all the other spaces in the house ” Guy Matheson commented . “ As well as maximising light and height , a further element in achieving this feeling was to have completely clean ceilings with no inset lights . We also chose to use the Vesda smoke detector system throughout , which works via tiny and very unobtrusive pipes rather than bulky detectors .”
EDITORS CHOICE
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