Designed for a couple with two young children, this simple single-level house is surrounded by two-storey homes with pitched roofs. Replacing a modest 1950s red-brick dwelling, the owners were keen not to go the same way as many in this coastal township. A stone’s throw from the beach, the brief called for both privacy to the fairly busy street as well as preventing neighbours from overlooking.

In contrast to the local trend for large speculative housing, this new house features a flat roof and a quiet, almost Japanese, aesthetic to the street. With a steel garage door on one side and timber battens on the other to ‘veil’ the main bedroom, access to the Shelley Beach house is via a long and protected entrance with corbeled stone, like the driveway. While the front façade is relatively closed to the street, the home’s rear elevation, orientated to the northern garden and swimming pool, features wide protective eaves (1.5 metres) and an outdoor room framed from the western sun by a brise soleil concrete wall.

Pivotal to the 215-square-metre three-bedroom home is the kitchen with its central pod that conceals, amongst other things, the walk-in pantry. Nestled within a void that includes highlight windows, the sage-coloured pod also separates the main thoroughfare. Given there are two young children, the brief called for simple materials, such as MDF joinery and oak timber floors throughout. And while all rooms benefit from natural light, the kitchen, living and dining areas are ‘bathed’ in abundant light. Given the emphasis on the garden and the need to strengthen its connection to the house, there are large sliding doors from living areas, together with wrap-around window seats in areas such as the dining area. Fabric Architecture also included bench seating at the end of the outdoor terrace that leads to a fire pit set in corbeled paving, ideal for entertaining on summer nights. The Shelly Beach house is a case of fluid rooms that focus on both on the garden and light, and also on privacy. And while all rooms have extensive glazing, some rooms, such as the children’s bedrooms, also benefit from borrowed light through highlight windows with generous ceiling heights. And with the slight fall of the land, approximately one metre, the focus is on enjoying the swimming pool and the unimpeded sight lines from within this home. Words: Stephen Crafti

Landscape Architect: Site Design Studios

Structural Engineers: Philips Burton Consulting Engineers