By Janine Jorgensen, Project consultant and Property Coordinator Michael Daly, Photography David Ross and Barend Roberts
What was once a modest, single-storey house, in Bedfordview, has been transformed into an example of sculptural architecture.
Making use of steel, glass and concrete in both the interior and exterior, the designer took a modern approach, while meeting the owner’s brief for a family home that would seamlessly blur indoor and outdoor living.
Four new garages were added on top of the existing house. These feature black steel sliding doors, which match the steel forms of the guardhouse and porte cochère.
Diagonal strip lights on the wall have been placed in an abstract pattern to create visual impact at night, while illuminating the entrance.
Lighting is a key component of the house, used to enhance the decor and provide ambience. It also serves a functional role, which includes softening the angular aspects of the design and preventing any unwelcome dark areas. For example, the backlit ceilings at the entrance counter any shadows from the three-dimensional forms, such as the staircase and columns, in the space.
The open-plan layout of the ground floor, where the lanai forms an extension of the double-volume living space, including the dining room and kitchen, is well suited to entertaining. Frameless glass folding doors allow for an easy flow between the various areas, and a polished concrete floor has been used throughout, which ties the outside and inside together. The concrete is also a good conductor for the water-based underfloor heating system, connected to solar panels and a heat pump, which was chosen for energy-efficient insulation.
For the interior decor, a dark palette of grey tones, combined with contemporary furniture and accessories for interest, has been used for a sophisticated, yet understated effect. These elements, along with finishes in concrete, steel and glass, complement the structural components of the house to create a synergy between the architecture and the interior design.
There are also three en-suite bedrooms downstairs, all with access to the garden, while upstairs are the pyjama lounge, playroom and the main bedroom suite. This has an open-plan bathroom and expansive dressing room, and benefits from its own sitting area, which incorporates a mini-kitchenette, television and fireplace, to offer the ultimate retreat.
In addition, the designer wanted to take advantage of the property’s enviable views, so the suite incorporates a large, north-facing balcony from which to admire the horizon.
But this is not the only spot where you can take in the view. A floating pavilion has been erected on the lower level of the garden, which overlooks Sandton to the north. Set beside the swimming pool and a firepit, it has an undercover braai and bar, to be an all-weather entertainment space.
From this location, taking in the north-facing facade, with the surrounding nature reserve as a backdrop and unique cantilevered koi pond in the foreground, you can really appreciate the bold design of the house. As the architect says: “This is no ordinary piece of architecture.”
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