A Warm + Textural ‘Forever Home’ In Suburban Adelaide

This newly built house in Adelaide has everything you’d might expect from a typical suburban home, and then some — two bedrooms, a garage, a vegetable garden and a home office.

But using passive design principles and mid-century influences, Sans-Arc Studio have packaged it together ‘a little bit differently’.

As a departure from some of the neighbourhood’s surrounding Victorian properties, the design features a distinctly warm palette of timber, brick and tile to create a special, and sustainable, forever home for the owners.

Written

Christina Karras

Suburban House by Sans-Arc Studio is located in Adelaide, South Australia. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Mid-century design inspired the overall aesthetic of the home. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

A home office – which was a must-have for the owners – is located behind the front room with a round window, while timber slats hide the three-car garage! Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

European oak timber joinery was a key part of the home’s restrained material palette. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

‘The intention with our material selection was to be timeless and choose robust materials that will age and wear well,’ Matiya adds. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Cream bricks also channel the textured look of mid-century modern homes. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

‘We created an expansive-yet-concealed kitchen within an adaptable living space, allowing for a 16-person dining table,’ Matiya explains. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Inside the warm and minimalistic living room. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Terrazzo and coloured tiles are a playful addition to the bathroom. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

A glimpse into one of the bedroom, which looks out to the gardens. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

The living spaces are open, adaptable, with ample access to light and sun, with expansive windows that help bring the outdoors in. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Pad Studio designed the inviting gardens to complement the serene home. Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Photo – Jonathan van der Knaap. Editorial styling – Maz Mis

Writer

Christina Karras

24th of April 2023

When Sans-Arc Studio were engaged to design a new home for an Adelaide couple, the clients presented them with a relatively simple brief, with a few special requests to ensure the outcome would become their ‘forever home’.

It had to have enough space for the clients to host a large family Christmas, an office fit for working from home, in addition to a ‘dry-store for curing salami’ and an extra space in the garage for their 1956 Alfa Romeo! But most importantly, an open-plan kitchen, living and dining, which had to feel like the heart of their residence.

‘The clients were after a mid-century aesthetic, but were also after something low-maintenance,’ Sans-Arc Studio director Matiya Marovich says. ‘On top of this, we introduced some extra playfulness and wanted a distinctly warm and natural feel to the space.’

These influences came to life in the beautifully restrained material palette. European oak timber joinery and Blackbutt flooring set the tone for the serene interiors, while cream bricks, off-white tiles and round windows offer nods to retro inspirations.

‘The intention with our material selection was to be timeless and choose robust materials that will age and wear well,’ Matiya adds.

While the intriguing facade maintains similar shapes to neighbouring residences with garages, or older Victoria-era homes, he says the use of timber and organic shapes creates a more ‘natural’ structure within the leafy street. Timber detailing cleverly hides the three-car garage from view.

The house is passively designed and ‘aware of its context’, using reverse brick veneer, natural ventilation and solar panels to ensure its sustainability. The dining space also flows to an oversized courtyard garden, creating an adaptable space for entertaining filled with natural light.

Meanwhile inside, a sliding door set amongst the living room’s joinery separates the street-facing ‘wing’ from the rest of the floorplan, allowing the owners to work from home and meet their clients in private.

The resulting residence has ‘all the things’ expected of a suburban home, in a calming, contemporary package designed to stand the test of time.