Harmony on the Headland – Lightwells House by Ian Bennett Design Studio

Situated on a headland in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Lightwells Houseby Ian Bennett Design Studiorelates to its neighbours through contrast and conformity. A new materiality is offered to the street in brick and black metal, while the scale and form of the building blend in with the proportions of its neighbours.

The first step in transforming the house for the design team was to demolish the existing living, dining room and kitchen – these additions were the result of several renovations over 20 years by various owners, creating a mix of odd shapes and clashing aesthetics. The new extension at the rear is more straightforward, resulting in an open, cohesive living, dining and kitchen space that connects to the existing front part of the house and to the backyard and ocean views beyond.

Creating a constantly shifting palette of light and shadows, this lightwell inspired the name of the house.

An additional level with a new master suite was also added above, with a lightwell connecting the existing and the new parts of the house. This brings light into the centre of the house while also allowing visual connection across levels. Creating a constantly shifting palette of light and shadows, this lightwell inspired the name of the house, which is also a pun on the client’s surname ‘Wells’.“The lightwell is my favourite space,” says designer Ian Bennett. “The light and shadow are constantly changing. I love that a circulation space, an area that’s in constant use, can be so fun and interesting.”

The aluminium cladding and brick materials used externally were chosen to withstand the harsh environment of the headland, while an external operable louvre to the master suite on the top floor provides privacy from the neighbours and morning solar protection. For Ian, the external aesthetics of the housewere all about creating harmony: “Glenn Murcutt once said that ‘harmony is disparate sounds, when placed together make a pleasing whole’, so to harmonise with one’s streetscape is to create difference rather than monotony.”

Lighting details were important to the design, with splayed lightwell walls creating shadows where they intersect with the adjacent vertical and horizontal planes.

Internally, the materials are softer, with oak flooring and joinery used throughout, including in the kitchen, where it complements cabinets in a soft eucalyptus green, grey concrete benchtops, dark tapware and soft curtains. Oak was also used for vertical dowel screens that act as staircase balustrade and room divider at the entry, creating a minimal shadow line. Lighting details were important to the design, with splayed lightwell walls creating shadows where they intersect with the adjacent vertical and horizontal planes. Meanwhile, upstairs in the bedroom, an LED strip running the length of the ceiling ridge creates a symmetrically-lit glow.

In the main living space, the furniture marks out each living zone, with a long dining table and chairs from The Woodroom placed parallel to the kitchen island. The sitting room furniture is from Jardan with the Andy sofa in a soft neutral and Harper armchairs in a rich green velvet – the oak of the legs of each of these pieces matches beautifully the oak in the rest of the house. A Koskela rug in neutral with flecks of colour ties everything together while offering a textural contrast with the marble-topped tables.

Upstairs, the new bathroom is large, open and filled with natural light thanks to the sloping window that follows the line of the roof. Operable louvres to the outside retain privacy. Materials here are simple with a white freestanding bath, white wall tiles and herringbone-laid neutral tiles to the floor, with oak timber to cabinetry.

With its focus on the play of light and on the simplicity of beautiful neutral materials, the interior of this house sits well alongside the best in contemporary beach architecture, while its darker, harder exterior provides protection from the salt and winds of the Pacific Ocean. According to the designer, many of the passers-by of Lightwells House are not sure whether this is an extension or a totally new house.  Says Ian, “this tells me I’ve succeeded in the portion of the brief to ensure that, whatever I do, I bring it all together.”