Breath of Fresh Air

11th of January 2009

When Ross McAndrew began designing the latest home for his family of four, he must have been quietly confident there would be a happy ending.  The award-winning architect paid close attention to the positives and shortcomings of previous dwellings to conceive the consummate living arrangement for wide Christine and children Tom and Emma.

Getting the kitchen right was at the top of the to-do list.
“Christine loves to cook and we both enjoy entertaining,”  says Ross. 
“But the kitchen in our last house opened directly onto a courtyard with only an aspect to the dining room, so Christine always felt isolated from the party when she had to prepare food.”
The solution: a gallery kitchen that shares the same space as the living area, but features a timber up-stand to screen all the messy bits.

“It’s similar to an arrangement we had in a previous house – my wife really liked the way that worked.  It’s a much more welcoming and family-friendly design.”

The new three-bedroom, four-bathroom home makes optimum use of a 510sqm split-level block.  A second storey occupies the front of the building and a drop in land towards the back allows for higher ceilings in the living areas.

Ross’ brief  was to create multifunctional spaces that could adapt just as easily  to a semi-retired couple as they would a young family.
“I think it’s important to keep a couple of demographics in mind when deciding the configurations in mind when deciding the configurations of a house,” he says. “Most of the bedrooms in this home are designed to suit the needs of children and adults alike.”

For instance, what might be a parent’s bedroom upstairs with walk-in robe access to the ensuite has become a nifty chill-out zone and storage area for the kids.  Travertine grain cut-marble floors introduced in the entrance walkway become a unifying feature throughout.  Interior designer Jane Agnew says the stone slabs determined the home’s natural palette.

“It meant I had to be sympathetic to what was already there,” she says. “Fortunately Ross and I are quite like-minded; we both have a preference for soft, neutral tones and simple finishings.”
The main thoroughfare instantly establishes a light, airy quality that is synonymous with Cottesloe living.  It also provides sufficient space for original works from Ross and Christine’s art collection.  Aluminium shutters on the doors filter the light and allow fresh air to permeate the space.  Right of the entrance is a master bedroom with private access to the front garden.  But the focal point of the room is Jane’s silk wall paneling which extends and complements a chenille bed head that she also designed.

The kid’s bedrooms with semi-ensuites are all upstairs, and an additional room can be used as a study, playroom or extra bedroom.  At the top of the stairwell an old Chinese door has been used to turn a skylight into a compelling visual feature.
“Rather than having the standard domes I thought I’d do something a bit different,”
Ross says. “It really sets off this small area while still allowing enough light to travel down the staircase.”
It’s difficult not to be astonished as you step into Christine’s music room.  Wall-length windows with sheer chocolate curtains create the perfect backdrop for a collection of string instruments and antiques.
“Christine teaches music and plays double-bass for the WA Symphony Orchestra,” Ross says, “So we needed to create an area for her that might still function as a formal lounge.”

“It’s a very creative space,” Jane adds. “We didn’t want a sterile room – we wanted it to be interesting.  So we painted the walls a darker tone and complemented them with natural finishings to give the space more drama.”
They were able to expose a considerable amount of glass in the room because the home has a northerly orientation.  A large liquid amber tree just outside the window also reduces glare while completing the picture.
But what makes this house a standout is its indoor-outdoor living arrangement.  The concept is realized in many contemporary Australian homes, but in this house, the open entertaining area appears one of a kind.
Standing on an outside deck, the visitor has the sense of being somehow part of the interior living space.  This is partly thanks to the skylight affect of the courtyard ceiling, dramatic overhangs and custom-made, commercial-height glazing.

“We have given the outside area a bit more of a classic touch,” Jane says. “The furniture is comfortable yet elegant, so it feels like you’re in an open-air sitting room.  And it ties in nicely with the indoor living, which we have warmed up with wide oak floorboards and soft velvet upholstery.”

The sliding glass door that separates inside and outside spaces has been detailed to slip into a wall cavity, visually linking the kitchen with the barbecue area and merging the rooms together.
“It changes the way with space works,” Ross says. “When the door is closed, the travertine marble becomes a passage to the family area. But when it’s open it becomes one large space.”
Belgian linen window treatments dapple the light coming through the door, while creating another textual element and adding sound absorption to the room.

Outside, a marble-clad wall set off a 7m resort-style pool, enclosed by the music room windows and a garden wall below.
“It’s not a big block of land so this worked well to make the pool more inclusive with the home and avoid it looking like a play pen,”
Ross says.
By maximizing space while still allowing rooms to close off acoustically, Ross has created a welcoming, functional family home that redefines open living and authentically captures the character of the suburb.

Written by: Nathan Scolaro
Photographs by: Robert Frith

Contacts

INTERIOR DESIGN:  Jane Agnew Interiors, (08)9285 2848;

LANDSCAPING: Anna Perry Garden, Cottesloe, (08)9384 2506;

POOL: Exclusive Pools, Balcatta, (08)9240 7522;

BALUSTRADES AND HANDRAILS: Stairway Enterprises, Wangara, (08)9408 0335;

TIMBER FLOORING: New Era Flooring, Cottesloe, (08)9384 9488;

CABINET MAKER: Midland Exclusive Cabinets, West Swan, (08)9274 2529;

GARAGE DOOR: Excelsior Garage Doors, Morley, (08)9371 1235;

STONE BENCHES: Marble & Cement Work WA, Welshpool, (08)9458 6199;

FIXTURES AND TAPWARE: Galvin Design Gallery, Osbourne Park, (08)9446 6700;

LIGHT FITTINGS: Illumination, West Perth, (08)9481 2242;

DUCTED VACUUM: Solarvac, Osbourne Park, (08) 9244 4611;

APPLIANCES: Miele and Harvey Norman;

AIR CONDITIONING: Ramsay’s Air Conditioning, Hillarys, (08) 9402 5066;

UNDERFLOOR HEATING:  Radiant Floor Heating, Joondalup, (08) 9301 5337;

OUTDOOR FIREPLACE: Jetmaster Fireplaces, Perth (08)9328 5777;

GRANITE TILES: Forezzi, Claremont, (08)9384 4263;

WALL TILES: Interceramics, Leederville, (08) 9444 8133;

ALUMINIUM JOINERY: Supreme Windows, Osbourne Park, (08)9433 3211;

BUILDER: Peter Bell, (08)9335 5316;

ARCHITECT: Ross McAndrew, (08)9430 7535;