My Ideal House

Come on in! This landmark home project by Australian  House & Garden and Mirvac is finished, furnished and looking fabulous.

- Sarah Pickette

 

Anyone who’s ever built a house knows the flood of joy and relief that hits when you finally put your key in the door and walk into your brand-new, completely finished home. Here at Australian House & Garden, we’re riding that wave of elation right now, and it’s with great excitement and pride that we open the doors and welcome you in to take a good look at My Ideal House.

From the street, the timber-and-white exterior of this home is immediately distinctive among its neighbours in the Sydney suburb of Gledswood Hills. With its beautiful windowboxes now brimming with foliage, herbs planted between the steppers in the front garden and a lush expanse of turfed driveway, it’s instantly friendly and inviting. This, it quickly becomes clear, is a house where every detail has been considered.

Sydney architect Madeleine Blanchfield won the My Ideal House design competition run by H&G and Mirvac with her plan for this home, which is comprised of two modules: a double-storey sleeping zone at the front and a single-level living area at the rear. The brilliant thing about Madeleine’s design is that the modules can be adjusted to suit the orientation of any block, ensuring a north-facing aspect is always achieved.

The timber front door opens to reveal an expansive view through the home. To the right of the entry is the multipurpose room, a generous space designed to be used any way the owners might wish. Its chief drawcard is, without question, the inviting timber window seat that visually connects to the front garden.

Wide engineered-oak floorboards, which extend to the bedrooms upstairs, imbue the home with warmth.