Malvern House — Images, Information Completed: 2024
Scope: Architecture, Interior Design
Builder: A.P Build Group
Photographer: Sean Fennessy
With restraint and finesse, a light touch has been adopted to the heritage front of the house. By contrast, the garden-interfacing living zones are designed to be experienced as a series of self-contained yet interconnecting zones where joinery elements provide suggestive function and sufficient spatial definition within the context of a larger, cohesive space centred around an expansive visual outlook.
Taking full advantage of the established garden’s changing visual effects across the day and the seasons, new full height glazing and a contemporary pergola structure have been integrated into the north façade, serving as an architectural departure from the heritage language of the exterior. This new threshold allows optimal sunlight to penetrate the floor plate whilst forging a liminal space between the home and garden where visual and physical access to the exterior is maximised.
Considered curation of finishes adds to the experiential layering of the project. Opting to move away from archetypal timber flooring, the entire ground floor comprises small format stone pavers, which create a unifying cohesion underpinned by materiality and a literal grounding effect on the occupants from the moment they awaken. The design works effortlessly to create a heightening of everyday moments: a gym and laundry workspace which overlook lush greenery, a walk-in shower flooded with sunlight via a six meter high skylight above, a front sitting room dedicated to stillness and sanctuary, places for decompression, for contemplation and for gathering.
Interior details throughout include triangulated motifs inspired by the prevalent gable roof elements; while gentle curves contrast against the rectilinearity of the overall space, employing compression and expansion to ensure ease of transition throughout the spaces. A mosaic bench wraps the perimeter of the living zone encompassing hearth, TV, and banquette seating while offering scope for adapting to an extended dining setting for regular larger family gatherings.
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