About SPACE

At this family home in sydney’s east, the enjoyment of both together time and retreat is an open-and-shut case.

- Judy Pascoe

Looking at this ultra-contemporary family home in Sydney’s sought-after eastern suburbs, it is almost inconceivable to think that it was built in the 1960s. Previous owners modernised the house in the 1990s with the help of architects PopovBass and, when the house sold a couple of years ago, the firm was called upon again to reconfigure the home for its new occupants.

Top of the owners’ brief was creating a sanctuary for their family of adult children and improving the connection between indoors and out. Specifically, they requested a flexible living space that could be opened up or closed off for use as a media room, and formal as well as informal dining areas. A pool and barbecue area were also to be included.

The architects reconfigured the interior to create a sequence of multi-use spaces that utilise pivoting and sliding doors and screens to great effect. These elements, crafted in European oak, serve a decorative as well as a functional purpose.

Flexibility of usage is a popular request from clients, says Brian Bass, co-director of PopovBass. “An open-plan home doesn’t necessarily serve a variety of uses well. And to permanently divide a home into compartments discourages the casual use of these spaces for other functions.”