Playful not pretentious property Down Under

We visit a property in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, that’s been revamped into an inventive, modern family home.

A pool table is among the playful elements in the River House’s lower-ground floor. Steve Back / Red Cover

From the street, this large, detached property in Greenwich, Australia, looks like a no-­nonsense home typical of the area, with its sandstone walls and almost conservatively pretty facade. But as soon as you step through the front door, the fresh, spirited decor and super-­modern architecture tell an altogether different story.

Here, visitors are wowed by the sweeping timber kitchen, the open-air, en-suite sitting room and the staggering river views, courtesy of extensive floor-to-ceiling glass. Then there’s the breathtaking master bedroom, with an outlook so spectacular you imagine you could touch the water from the comfort of your duvet, and the dramatic cantilevered extension, which cuts a striking silhouette against the harbour scenery.

The property, which is known as the ­River House, belongs to a couple, who share it with their two teenage children and pet dogs. After deciding against their initial design concept, the couple commissioned an architecture firm to create a revised version.

“We were fortunate enough to win the project and see through the fruition of the ­River House,” says Steve Koolloos, the director of the Sydney-based MCK architecture practice.

The project took about four years to complete, which included two years of construction and a series of tough negotiations with the local authority. “The house is located in Greenwich, which is generally conservative in nature,” explains Koolloos. “The suburb has its own Heritage Preservation Association, which we knew would not necessarily thrive on the idea of a contemporary home being proposed for the area.”

Not only did the red-tape guidelines prove challenging, but the clients had an extensive brief to fulfil, and the site was a difficult one: a small, triangular-shaped wedge at the end of the street, which also dropped ­dramatically in level. But Koolloos and his team sought intelligent solutions and canny concepts to overcome all of these barriers – and any others thrown their way. To create extra floor space, the architects devised an additional “room in the air”, with an ingenious cantilevered extension, and used locally sensitive materials (sandstone, face brick and timber shingles), plus layers of warmth and texture in Corten steel and timber battens, so the house would meld into the natural habitat, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb.

“The existing house had some good bones that were worth designing around. For example, the lower ground floor was built from 600-millimetre-thick sandstone walls that were in great condition,” says Koolloos. “The project was potentially contentious with the local authority, and so part of our strategy was to promote the idea of retaining a good portion of the existing building stock.”

The house is now a spectacular family dwelling, and is typical of Koolloos’s work, which he describes as “modernist with a twist”. On closer inspection, even the understated front, with its layer of weathered Corten steel, provides some hint of what’s going on inside.

“The sandstone wall is the property boundary and the rusted box is Corten steel with a ­purpose-built, laser-cut screen door that allows the house to remain locked yet still breathe,” Koolloos details.

But it’s when you enter the vast, open-plan, ground-floor space that Koolloos’s brilliantly creative design eye becomes obvious. Here, a curvaceous free-standing wall of timber-veneer units is echoed by a marble-topped island unit and bendy strip light above. It’s a simple yet unexpected kitchen layout, with the free-standing structure hiding a walk-in pantry, secret powder room and storage space.

“The entire kitchen is an island, more like a piece of furniture or an object inserted into the space that appears to be ‘dumb’, but actually holds a greater intelligence to what it conceals, such as the hidden walk-in pantry,” he explains. “We like to add an element of fun to our design – the planes that define a space or a room are not just seen as walls or floors but rather as objects or tools to create a more dynamic architectural language.”

The kitchen leads seamlessly on to a dining area and then on again to an extraordinary floating plate where you’ll find an outside sitting space, complete with a working fireplace and all-weather furniture. There’s also an exterior deck, just one step down from the kitchen, where the owners can sit and enjoy the views and be shaded by a retracting screen. The main living room is on this floor, too – a cosy, more-private space that has been moulded by Koolloos to offer something a little different from the rest of the layout.

“This entire level has an amazing view to the north,” he says, “but we deliberately directed the view west in the living room, blocking the north view with a sandstone fire and TV area. The stone wall aids in the definition of a more intimate space and forces the user to consider a different perspective.”

It’s the master suite on the first floor, though, which offers the most striking perspectives. Here, a vast room, furnished carefully with a bed and timber-veneered box-slash-dressing room, opens out fully to glorious harbour views. “When you step into this room, you feel like you are floating in the clouds above the river,” muses Koolloos. “The wardrobe is contained within the long palisander-timber-veneer box that separates the room from the street and from the en suite.”

With the outside space just as important as the inside, Koolloos and his team also completely remodelled the garden to echo the clean lines and modern architecture of the interior decor. The pool and terrace were raised 4.5 metres above the former back yard to make it more accessible and easier to use, while a slick, concrete daybed offers a real dash of utilitarian chic. “The lap pool has an infinity edge that drops off to the bush below,” he adds. “It is finished with a white mosaic tile, but appears blue through the reflection of the sky.”

This is by no means a pretentious or over-designed property – this is a family home imbued with playful elements. On the lower-ground floor, for instance – one floor below street level – there’s a casual sitting room, a pool table and a vaulted wine cellar.

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