Pushing design boundaries while paying respect to architectural history comes naturally to the team at Mountford Architects.
SALTER POINT
For Ben Mountford of Mountford Architects, this particular project was more of a rebuild than a renovation.
The original 1960s home was to be reinvented in a modern, stylish design that flowed effortlessly from front to back, combining all living areas on one level rather than the previous two. The kitchen was to become the central part of this new zone, where the clients would fulfil their love of entertaining and could also choose the covered outdoor spaces at either end of the home.
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For this luxurious home in Salter Point, one of the most distinctive characteristics is the open gabled roof with large stone infill walls to delineate formal and informal living areas.
Externally, the cantilevers in the roof at the front and back of the home were achieved with a pre-tensioned ridge beam. This created two generous eave overhangs that shade the floor-to-ceiling glazing, creating attractive back and front porches. The simple arrangement addresses the street frontage and sets up an even balance of light in the home, with views to the gardens and beyond.
Internally, the rooms abound in volume and space, making the home feel grand, albeit on a domestic scale.
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Carrara stone benchtops, brushbox flooring, and travertine stone walls add practical elegance that is further raised with fittings such as magnificent floor-to-ceiling doors.
With a deck and fire pit at the front of the completed abode, and an elevated deck and outdoor kitchen at the rear, the owners now have a selection of home entertaining locations, inside and out.
ATTADALE
The owners' vision for this family home was a space in which they could easily entertain extended family and friends throughout all months of the year. After initial schematic plans were devised by Mountford Architects, the design began to draw influences from a home by the prolific LA architect Quincy Jones that was commissioned in the early 1950s by actor Gary Cooper. The house was mutually admired by the clients and architect for its free-flowing plan of connected spaces that stretched throughout the home enabling an environment well suited to entertaining in a temperate climate like Perth's.
In a similar way to its Hollywood muse, Mooring Road merges the desirable spaces of the grand fireplace to a lounge room, the cantilever to a kitchen and family room, and a courtyard and pool to the dining and alfresco area. The overall plan comes together in a rich living ensemble that people inhabit with ease, infused with natural daylight.
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Importantly, while reworking this classic for a modern family, the notion of connectivity and flexibility were of equal priority to the notion of Hollywood charm. As with all good architecture, the little nuances make a difference in this home, whether it be the ability to see the dining room and TV from the kitchen, or the subtle but considered sight line to the pool's edge.
Outdoor cooking and dining is enjoyed with ease and most rooms look through to the next creating a living experience that is simultaneously suited to both family and individual requirements.
The well-finished nature of the house is exemplified by the use of stained timber detailing, polished stonework, and established plantings that all perfectly combine to create a uniquely crafted modern family home.
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