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Sole House by 868 Architects and Hammercorp
A home that captures the mood of a holiday while answering the demands of daily family life, Sole House by 868 Architects and Hammercorp finds its rhythm in layered landscaping, materiality and spatial fluidity.
Located in leafy Bardwell Park in southern Sydney, Sole House by 868 Architects retains its mid-century charm while embracing a contemporary palette of robust finishes and warm materials. “The clients are a couple with children,” explains Lauren Garth, 868 Architects’ senior designer. “When they approached us, their initial brief was to create a home that evokes a sense of peace and rest. They have a deep connection to Fiji, which became a key influence, bringing in a calm, resort-like feeling.” From the outset, the design explored how to re-create those restorative moments typically experienced on holiday. Additionally, Sole House reflects how home-grown businesses work with families to create their ideal residences, being constructed by a family-owned builder, Hammercorp, and with wood-look aluminium features by another family-owned Australian company, Knotwood.
The home occupies a sloping corner block, which presented early challenges but key opportunities for both Hammercorp and the architect. “Being a corner block, there were a lot of exposed facades, so we needed privacy but also wanted to open the house up to the surrounding context,” says Garth. “It allowed us to design in a way that made the home feel larger than it is. We avoided overburdening the site with structure and, instead, focused on the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces.” The layout flows with the terrain: a sunken living room connects to a central courtyard; the kitchen and dining space opens to the pool and lawn; an alfresco kitchen and dining zone supports year-round entertaining.
Materially, the palette is tactile and timeless, with texture taking precedence over colour. White bagged brick gives softness, honed travertine grounds the home visually, and bronze powder-coated steel provides contrast. “It’s not about bold colours jumping out at you. Instead, as light moves across a wall or touches a piece of upholstery, it’s quite evocative. There’s a lot of nuance in the finishes. For example, the stone appears calm at first, but when light hits it, you see veining come through.”
A timber aesthetic carries through in more subtle ways, most notably in the soffits, made from Knotwood’s timber-look aluminium in the Sycamore colourway. “For this project, we really wanted to see timber soffits. We felt like they helped connect to some of those mid-century themes.” The warmth and light tone of the timber are the perfect complement to the stone and brick, creating a timeless and textural materiality.
For a family who values spending time outdoors, the alfresco dining space is an ingenious addition, fully open to the garden. Here, Knotwood’s aluminium system brings the calming look and feel of timber without the inherent issues of maintenance – ensuring the space will remain pristine – as well as offering exceptional durability and weather resistance. Being 100 per cent recyclable, it also adds immeasurably to the home’s sustainability credentials.
The products’ ability to retain a consistent finish over time means it combines the warmth and appeal of timber with the longevity required for contemporary family homes. “It’s not an afterthought,” says Garth. “It’s something we consider right from the start of each project. It’s incredibly durable, fast to install and it gives you confidence because you know that what you get on day one is what it will look like years later.” Across the facade, garage and alfresco area, Knotwood products, including cladding board and battens, create a consistent architectural rhythm. The precision of the product allowed for clean lines and concealed fixings, achieving a refined look with minimal visual disruption.
Knotwood’s low maintenance and natural, light breezy look also align perfectly with the broader design ambition of Sole House – to create a home that feels restful and permanent, tailored to a family’s every-day and a sense of every-day escape. By mimicking the timber of Fijian homes, Knotwood’s range of products also bring the family’s connection to the island to life, adding to the residence’s sense of relaxation and ease.
Architecture and interior design by 868 Architects. Build and development by Hammercorp. Landscape design by Sydney City Landscapes. Engineering by AE Consulting Engineers. Joinery by Joinery X. Aluminium profiles by Knotwood.
