Bold Front – Axis House by Michael Bremner and Linda Habak Design

Taking form as an X across its corner allotment, Axis House is an interplay of light and dark, open and more intimate settings. Michael Bremner and Linda Habak Design combine to create a home of layered depth and richness of texture, where materiality intersects with incoming light.

Located in Abbotsford in Sydney, Axis House had the challenging task of navigating its non-linear site while still allowing for a sense of identity and presence amongst the streetscape to be formed. Electing to create a bold statement unlike its more traditional neighbours, the team proposed a less expected imprint of an X formation across the site and, in the process, allows for an increased envelope and enhanced opportunities for connections between inside and out. While non-traditional in its planning approach, the form allows for the multi-storey home to have a natural sense of separation between zones within each of its ends and increase opportunities for the built elements to interact with the surrounding garden.

As a celebration of the orientation of contemporary homes, the core openness is never more present than in the living, dining, and kitchen areas, which coalesce together and open to the nearby landscape.

With architecture by Michael Bremner and interior design by Linda Habak Design, the home is layered and the edges softened. Axis House sits amongst a highly curated setting, ensuring the primary principles of the home extend out into the formal garden spaces and allow for a natural cross-over of functionality. Built by Pazcon and together with landscape design by Mariko Fraser, the exterior boldness is then reinterpreted by contrasting elements internally and an interplay of textures. Both in the materiality and the combination of open and closed features throughout, the home engages with its surrounds throughout the day and allows an animation of the interior as light and seasonal weather pass by.

The insertion of a rounded form to encase the kitchen, butler’s pantry and powder room together becomes a central hearth gesture of sorts, anchoring the open living spaces around this form. As a celebration of the orientation of contemporary homes, the core openness is never more present than in the living, dining, and kitchen areas, which coalesce together and open to the nearby landscape. Varying levels of depth and richness are highlighted through a pairing with a balanced palette, allowing the other nuanced metal details and handcrafted elements within the custom joinery to be become highlighted through everyday use.

The insertion of a rounded form to encase the kitchen, butler’s pantry and powder room together becomes a central hearth gesture of sorts, anchoring the open living spaces around this form.

Both contemporary and relevant, Axis House responds to the existing form and scale of its context, while subtleties in the planning and its approach tell a different story. Michael Bremner and Linda Habak Design craft a home of lasting relevance as a unique expression of the site and its owners.