Lightness Contained – Casa Clisby Way by Kate Lawrence Interiors and EMK Architects
Warm and muted, Casa Clisby Way aims to engage with the immediate surrounds whilst responding to the existing built fabric and focusing on lightness throughout. Kate Lawrence Interiors and EMK Architects propose an open plan new insertion that connects both to the site and its occupants.
Set back from the front site boundary, Casa Clisby Way weaves itself among a newly curated landscape setting, creating a unique presence in the process. Aligning with the neighbouring homes, the built form is pulled back deliberately to allow for an acknowledgement of context and to create a sense of separation between the public and private realms. Within the developing residential area of Matraville in south-eastern Sydney, emphasising privacy and taking advantage of a changing urban landscape became key motivators for the owners. Replacing an existing independent dwelling of outdated repair, the proposal of a multiple-level duplex captures an increase in densification whilst remaining enduring in its approach.
Across the site, a feeling of calm and disconnection is created through planning that directs an inward feel, which brings in light from multiple directions to soften the crisp and linear formal elements of the home. Partly inspired by a Tuscan permanence, masonry symbolises a strength of form, whilst framed openings encourage connections beyond the outer edges of the residence. An emphasis on simplicity ensures a continued relevance over time, with a future-focused receptivity integrated throughout.
Despite the contained palette, there are subtleties in texture and finish that interact with the incoming light and give a richness to the home. Responding to the surrounding scale, existing forms, and the way in which the owners want to live, enabling an ease of flow between inside and out drove the process. Lightwells and garden atriums allow the overall form to breathe, allowing for a more natural connection to the element whilst maintaining a rectilinear containment.
Partly inspired by a Tuscan permanence, masonry symbolises a strength of form, whilst framed openings encourage connections beyond the outer edges of the residence.
Though deeply private, there is an openness throughout Casa Clisby Way that is further enhanced by a lightness. Increasing the overall sense of scale, Kate Lawrence Interiors and EMK Architects emphasise a perceived sense of scale and an outward openness to fulfil the full potential of the site.
