Concrete Blonde is an architectural jewelry box. It is an updated Annandale cottage that unfolds from a modest heritage façade to a generously spaced home. Warmth is expressed through earth tones and natural materials, capturing light through its skylights and courtyard well.
© Katherine Lu
Our clients wanted to create a place of gathering for family and friends, whilst also creating a peaceful sanctuary for when they were alone. Their home needed to block out the noise from nearby busy roads and planes overhead, to create a calm space they could come home to after a busy day. They are big believers that the kitchen is the heartbeat of the home, a place for deep conversations and making connections. But to counter this, they also highlighted a need for private spaces that suit each individual. Because the project sits on a tight 5-meter wide block there was a need for practicality in sequence and circulation throughout the home. © Katherine Lu
The living space flows into the home?s kitchen and dining area, black sliding glass doors dissolve away to connect the kitchen to the rear courtyard. These four spaces, outdoors, kitchen, living, and dining coming together as one, creating a communal hub. A tiled and plant-filled courtyard holds a lightwell that delivers to all levels of the home, most importantly into the living spaces below. The courtyard separates the communal and private areas of the home and addresses the change in level and the need for natural light on thi...