Habitus Living: Let’s focus on the garden, the outdoor space. Can you explain its position in relation within the house and site overall please?
TV: The garden is repositioned to the front of the house, challenging the conventional backyard model. The kitchen and living spaces extend outward to an entertainment deck and BBQ area before dissolving into a front garden anchored by a mature canopy tree. Situated at the end of a cul-de-sac, the absence of through traffic allows this garden to operate as a surprisingly private outdoor room. The landscape visually borrows from the surrounding street trees, softening the boundary between site and neighbourhood while amplifying the sense of greenery. In doing so, the design embraces the site’s most favourable aspect while enabling subtle moments of connection with neighbouring homes.
Outdoor spaces are layered throughout the plan. A northern courtyard adjacent to the kitchen and dining areas draws natural light deep into the interior and supports cross-ventilation. At the rear, a compact service courtyard accommodates the home’s practical infrastructure, including hot water services, air-conditioning equipment and a clothesline. Rather than attempting to create a conventional private backyard, the design acknowledges the surrounding built context and allocates this space to domestic functions.
Why was outdoor space important for you in this project?
Outdoor space was fundamental to the project, as the house is designed for multigenerational living. The outdoor areas needed to support a variety of uses, providing places for both adults and children to gather, relax and play. With the site being narrow, creating outdoor spaces that were functional, visually engaging and respectful of neighbouring structures became a critical part of making the design work.
The east-west orientation of the site also made capturing northern light challenging. Carefully positioned courtyards and gardens were therefore essential, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the home and maintaining a strong connection between the interior and outdoors throughout the day.
How does the garden interact with the indoor spaces – do they overlap, oppose, complement each other?
The garden spaces are designed as extensions of the interior. The deck continues the living room outward, accommodating outdoor dining and BBQ functions, while the northern courtyard extends the dining space and introduces natural light into the centre of the plan. Together, these outdoor areas visually expand the interior, creating a seamless relationship between inside and outside.
Related: Garden design at a heritage home
What was the client brief, specifically in relation to the garden and outdoor spaces?
The client was concerned about the lack of privacy in the rear yard, which is overlooked by neighbouring buildings and surrounded by built form. The brief therefore focused on introducing natural light and cross-ventilation while creating an outdoor space with a strong green aspect – turning the conventional idea of privacy on its head by embracing interaction with neighbours and fostering a subtle sense of community.
How do you imagine people using these spaces?
The spaces are imagined as part of the daily rhythm of the home. On a sunny summer morning, the sliding doors open fully to the deck where breakfast and coffee spill outdoors while children play on the lawn. Cooking might happen in the kitchen or at the BBQ, allowing activities to move seamlessly between inside and out. In the evening, the dining space opens to the courtyard, drawing in the gentle sea breeze and creating a relaxed setting for dinner.
What about considerations of privacy and openness?
The cul-de-sac setting provides a natural level of privacy to the front garden due to minimal through traffic. Within the house, privacy is organised as a gradual gradient from public to private – beginning at the front deck, moving through the living areas and kitchen, and extending toward the dining space. The master bedroom sits at the rear of the ground floor for greater seclusion, while the remaining bedrooms and rumpus room are located on the upper level. This layered arrangement allows the home to remain open and connected while still offering moments of retreat.
Do you have a favourite detail or moment here?
A favourite moment occurs on the front deck, where the brick silhouette of the neighbouring building is retained, quietly revealing the story of the site’s context. Inside, the kitchen becomes the social heart of the home, positioned between the courtyard, living, dining and deck spaces. Warm, refined and highly functional, it naturally supports everyday interaction and gathering.
