Silver Street
In true contemporary housing fashion, this cleverly designed Eltham home proclaims to all visitors: Let there be light.
The northerly orientation of the upper and lower living areas and accompanying generous banks of glass flood the home with natural light, helping to keep it warm in winter and relatively cool in summer.
The let-there-be-light scenario was part of the brief owners Ian and Debbie Pritchard provided to Darren.
Ian says the couple also wanted a smart, modern home which would sit well on a sloping block and blend in with the gum-tree surroundings typical of that part of central Eltham.
On the outside, the home’s exterior comprises timber cladding, rendered foam and a distinctive raked roofline. Inside, Tasmanian oak floors, strategically-placed windows and high ceilings are order of the day, evoking a warm, earthy yet spacious feel throughout.
The three levels of the 300sqm (including garage) house allow for comfortable and separate living zones, which Ian says he, his wife and their children were keen to achieve after “being on top of each other’’ in their previous home in tropical Darwin.
“We came up with the idea of a split-level home to minimise stairs and Darren translated it into a workable concept,’’ he recalls. “He (Darren) also maximised the northerly orientation so that on a sunny day in mid winter the temperature of the house is very even. Yes, we do use heating, but only in the evening. The winter sun streams in and it (the temperature) stays pretty even. It’s also comfortable on hot days – fairly even temperature wise.’’
In keeping with an increasing number of contemporary designs, the lower and upper communal living zones have clean, crisp lines and offer sliding-door access to the outside to allow for indoor-outdoor living and entertaining on a small or large scale.
The generous kitchen is a further example of modern chic, with stainless steel appliances, a generous island servery and breakfast bar topped by reconstituted stoneas well as an accompanying long, rectangular window, which helps to bring the outside in. On the bedroom front, this home also delivers because the sleeping quarters are better than average in size and sufficiently separated over two levels to allow for a degree of privacy for various family members. The main bedroom is distinguished by a built-in robe which leads directly to a reasonably sized ensuite with twin vanity and two semi-recessed handbasins – ideal for his and her living needs.
Importantly, this design will strike a chord with storage fans because it offers good-size walk-in robes in each bedroom as well as 9sqm of space in the mezzanine area above the garage. The latter storage space can be accessed via a convenient pull-down stepladder.
All up, the Pritchard family are “very happy’’ with the home design delivered by Darren.
Project description written and featured by project partner Billings Long