With an internal courtyard at its core, this new home for a family of five is equal parts ordered and elastic, providing space for living, working and making in the Sydney suburbs.
The design team has elevated the primary living spaces, including the kitchen and all the bedrooms. This clever manoeuvre has allowed the ground floor to become a flexible space that can support a diverse range of activities and uses. Sheltered and adaptable, it can be an extension of the workshop; a zone in which to study, accommodate guests or host parties; or a place to do laundry or park cars. The space is an amalgamation of industrial and domestic details.
The rugged and glossy exterior gives way to an inviting interior. A warm ambience envelops the entire ground floor, which is adorned with carefully crafted hardwood plywood panels, each one lovingly oiled by the clients. The central courtyard garden takes centre stage, embraced by substantial timber-framed double-glazed windows and accentuated by timber cladding on the walls above.
Cappellini S Chair
Fritz Hansen High Dot Stool
Timber continues on the ceiling upstairs, where it is paired with white plasterboard walls and burnished concrete floors. The kitchen and bathrooms are also minimal and utilitarian, comprising ceramic Japanese tiles used in a singular manner and the same hardwood panelling, ensuring that warmth pervades the entirety of the house.
Here, the internal garden defines the surrounding rooms. Every space, whether upstairs or downstairs, establishes a unique connection with the courtyard. The controlled access to the internal courtyard fosters a sense of both proximity and separation between rooms, reminiscent of the intimate coexistence experienced in a densely populated urban environment, such as an overlooked New York apartment. It allows the home’s occupants to enjoy their own individual spaces while remaining interconnected, basking in shared sunlight and view. In this sense, Shed House serves as yet another powerful reminder of the significance of gardens in residential design.
