Clifton Hill Courtyard House

by Steffen Welsch Architects

From The Architect

As with all of our designs, the beginning point for this new residence in Clifton Hill was to think about the long and short term needs of the clients; in this case a young, growing family who have made this neighbourhood their new home. Our design brief was to compose a number of spatial relationships within the house itself, between the interior and exterior living spaces, as well as, the residence and the street.

We payed attention to opportunities that brought the family together, as well as,  gave them spaces to enjoy time alone. Adult’s and children’s rooms can be physically and acoustically split apart while still allowing supervision and collaberation. A front-yard timber deck may be used as a play area, and a roof terrace provides views without interrupting the neighbours’ privacy.

Inspiring flexible utilisation of spaces allows for a more sustainable house-hold; with this in mind, we have provided large sliding panels or curtains so that habitable rooms can be either open and casual, or intimate and formal as needed.

The stairs were designed as an aesthetic focal point in the centre of the home. The balustrade, created by artist Laura Woodward, is a significant characteristic of the living space.