Hedge and Arbour House
Bordering native bushland and fronted by a prominent hedge, Hedge and Arbour House by Studio Bright is a home that both embraces and fortifies its natural surroundings.
Situated on a suburban street lined with double-fronted homes, the site already had a point of difference in the form of a large hedge along its street-facing boundary, which features an arched opening as the entry point. Retaining this vertical green expanse as the home’s front elevation, Studio Bright adopted it as a key design cue, introducing a blockwork wall that wraps around two sides of the dwelling, punctuated by square openings that echo the leafy archway.
This whimsical structure frames the home, allowing interior spaces to extend outward into the landscape. This creates a transitional area between the built form of the house and the natural form of the hedge while dividing the gardens into two distinct zones to the east and west.
The landscaping is integral to the residence. Designed in collaboration with Sarah Hicks of Emergent Studios, it ranges from a loose, wilderness-like area between the hedge and wall to a more contained yet organic garden within the wall’s bounds.
Moving through to the next layer of the plan – the house itself – the exterior receives a delicate treatment of steel mesh that wraps around its box-like form, inviting plants and vines to climb across it like a garden arbour. Beyond its visual beauty, the mesh also provides a secondary shield against harsh winds and sunlight. While these geometric, linear forms could appear at odds with the surroundings, the juxtaposition and the softening of the home’s edges creates a balance between the built and natural environments, something that may become increasingly vital as urban sprawl pushes homes closer to the bushland.
Inside, wide doorways and windows allow the homeowners to peer and step past the veil of leafy vines to the lush, landscaped garden. The material palette is pared back, with floor-to-ceiling timber panelling and cabinetry, timber floors and splashes of colour that reflect the surrounding landscape. The blockwork wall continues inside, becoming a defining element of the living room design. Through a series of considered gestures that extend beyond its walls, Hedge and Arbour House is in constant harmony with the outside world.
Architecture and interior design by Studio Bright. Build by Guild and Frank. Landscape architecture by Emergent Studios. Landscape construction by Lucida Landscapes. Structural engineering by Meyer Consulting. Surveying by Fotia Group.
