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The initial brief behind this home in Robertson, New South Wales, was to create a holiday retreat for the owners that could serve as an escape from their everyday lives as professionals in Sydney.
Takt Studio co-founder and director Katharina Hendel says their requests were for a ‘modest main house’ and a smaller pavilion with guest accommodation that avoided the usual ‘trappings of suburban living’.
This meant foregoing elements like a large garage in favour of a country home with shed, veggie garden and solar farm that powers the off-grid abode.
‘The design was primarily driven by the unique site, on a ledge overlooking the valley to the east and backed by remnant rainforest, the Yarrawa brush, to the west,’ Katharina says. ‘The home seeks to connect those contrasting outlooks.’
A propped skylight slot runs the length of the main house, capturing the forest views and the shifting western sun and eastern light across the day. They cleverly positioned the residence and guest house just off the sides of a gentle hill, making room for an outdoor courtyard between them.
In addition to embracing the site’s remote landscape with wide windows and a series of deck spaces, the owners’ love of mid-century modern design also helped influence the project’s unique aesthetic.
‘[We employed a] simple palette to suit its environment: robust and straightforward,’ Katharina says.
The materials include fieldstone from the site, rough sawn cladding, expressed steel posts, raw-fibre cement sheets and hardwood windows, which was balanced by the client’s collection of objects and furniture.
Katharina describes the home’s fit out as warm, ‘and at times colourful’, thanks to the pops of yellow and blue elements, alongside retro-style tiles in the kitchen.
The property beautifully captures the breathtaking views of Kangaroo Valley and the Tasman Sea beyond. It’s easy to see why the owners now spend a large part of their time there, with plans to make it their home base in the years to come.
