New St House in Brighton by SYNC Architects & Interior Styling by Flack Studio.

SYNC Architects have designed a bright and bold forever home for a young family in the heart of Brighton, Melbourne. The contemporary house strikes a simple silhouette, with the architects focusing on high-quality materials such as render, glass, concrete and natural stone to form a neutral backdrop for a contemporary coastal garden and an eclectic art-focused interior by Flack Studio.

“One key design aspect was to maximise the occupant’s exposure to natural light, natural air and increase the connectivity of the occupants with the natural environment. To do this we developed a biophilic framework which had us design deliberate opportunities in the architecture and spatial planning for the external environment to be featured internally,” elaborates the SYNC design team. “One example where we implemented this was by incorporating an internal glazed courtyard to spatially divide the kitchen from the living whilst retaining transparency through to each space.”

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Not only did this approach provide further opportunity for natural light, but it also brought a lush garden within the centre of the two most utilised spaces in the home, increasing the intimacy between the outdoor and indoor environments.

Since the initial briefing, the owner’s family has grown. When commencing the project, the owners had one child and a newborn, but by the time they moved into the home, they had three children and a dog. With this in mind, the home was organised with the intention to be used for years to come.

“Although the home is a modest 55 squares, the dwelling was designed to provide five bedrooms, a library and three living areas,” explain the architects. The design integrated flexible spaces for children to interact with their friends with spaces for parents to relax, a quiet library space for a ‘work-at-home’ environment and most importantly, spaces for everyone to come together as a family.

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[Images courtesy of SYNC Architects. Photography by Jack Lovel.]