Heart of light
Fussy detailing is avoided in this new home, where sculptural
forms, strong materiality and sustainability hold sway
Previous pages: Timber cladding,
dark brickwork and a painted steel
garage door come together to create
a compositional balanced facade on
this home by Dalecki Design.
This page: On entry, guests look
through the stairs and a breeze block
wall to the central courtyard.
Facing page: The living zone’s dark
tones balance the natural light that
floods into the room. The darker hues
also make the room feel cosy at night.
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Wrapping round a sheltered, private open-air
space, courtyard homes attract plenty of natural
light and connect the indoors with the outdoors at
every turn – a great blueprint for this green home.
The homeowners’ brief was for a light-filled,
passive-solar home with a strong mixed material
palette and fluid links to the outdoor spaces and
nature, says designer Janik Dalecki.
“In addition, the design had to offer distinct
living zones, so the owners’ children could have
a sense of their own space when they are older.”
The home’s emphasis on materiality is seen
right from the street, the front facade a pleasing
composition of rich, warm timber, dark brick
cladding and white render – with the garage in
dark steel. Apart from the steel, these surfaces
feature in various ways throughout the home,
as does the white breeze block of the front fence.
“And it’s the materiality that draws you into
the home, as well,” Dalecki says. “The warm
timber cladding wraps in under the wall plane
to form the soffits. At the front entry, the wood
extends right inside the hall, leading the way.”
A few steps inside, the hallway soars up to
2.5 levels in height. As well as creating drama,
the lofty proportions allow for large clerestory