Contemporary Craft – The Coach House by SpaceCraft Joinery

Within the outer shell of a heritage red-bricked outbuilding in the Adelaide Hills, The Coach House is reimagined as a place of refinement and calculated calm. SpaceCraft Joinery takes influence from the rich history of the site and its remaining buildings to repurpose the home as a contemporary and elevated nod to both the past and present.

Set within an idyllic backdrop of lush and established surrounds, The Coach House focuses on the reworking of the integrated joinery within the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms as well as a refresh of the interior floor to enliven the heritage building. With a newly poured concrete slab and freshly laid herringbone timber flooring underfoot, the insertions act as an extension of the handmade and artisanal approach of the original, carrying through a contemporary approach as the new spaces transform the building into a welcoming residence. SpaceCraft Joinery integrates both linear and rounded gestures to aid and soften navigation and movement through, while firming anchoring the new elements in place.

By using a rich palette of enduring and classical finishes, the result is intended to last for many years to come, aligning naturally with the textured depth of the original elements on site.

As a reflection of contemporary lifetstyles, the kitchen becomes the focal point of the new spaces. Where unlike in previous generations the kitchen was tucked away from view, it has now taken a much more central positioning as a place to prepare, create and entertain, and in the process has become a place to focus heightened detailing. While in the past the focus on detailing may have been reserved for furniture or artwork, this same appreciation of craft has now extended to the working joinery elements of the home. Using a banded approach within the kitchen, a back wall of joinery conceals and provides storage, while a feature island is both a preparation and meeting place that grounds the home.

By using a rich palette of enduring and classical finishes, the result is intended to last for many years to come, aligning naturally with the textured depth of the original elements on site. The combined darkened timber of the kitchen with the warm beige tones in the applied stone adds movement to the surfaces, particularly as they engage with the incoming light through the oversized steel and glass frontage. The supporting butler’s pantry, although away from view, carries an element of the handmade through the organic nature of the tiles used, while a more simplified joinery approach sees muted tones continue the softness of the kitchen. The bathroom joinery combines both the handmade tiles, timber cabinet detailing and brass fixtures as an expression of its place as a frequented place of engagement within the home.

The combined darkened timber with the warm beige tones in the stone adds movement to the surfaces, particularly as they engage with the incoming light through the oversized steel and glass frontage.

In its enduring appeal, The Coach House allows the legacy of the original heritage home to continue, while respecting its origins. SpaceCraft Joinery combines both elevated and more familiar elements, and in doing so creates a place of warmth that is also openly welcoming.