Considered Connection – Double Bay House III by TKD Architects
Double Bay House III is a contemporary and pragmatic residence tailored to suit family living. In transforming the traditional family home into an inspired modern form, the architecture simultaneously embraces both connectivity and separation within. TKD Architects creates a deeply considered, highly functional and sophisticated dwelling.
Located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Double Bay House III benefits from its purposeful site position at the south-east corner of the block. Designing the home in this way celebrates its front garden and privately welcomes an abundance of natural light. Sitting across from a park and being surrounded by trees, the new form’s intention was to respect the surrounding landscape and make the most of the natural elements on site, creating a functional, peaceful home for a young family.
Entering through a garden, one is immediately met with the curvature of the residence. The combined kitchen, dining and living is zoned in a traditional way, with the kitchen kept simple and connecting to a family room with floor-to-ceiling doors that can be opened or closed. There is an atrium volume that leads upwards, which imbues a sense of verticality into the heart of the home. The top levels include a kid’s wing, a parent’s retreat and a private library that has wonderful views of the harbour.
The materiality of the home is defined by a sense of harmony and calm, enriched by smooth lines and an ever-present play of light. The external curvature of the residence extends to the rounded stone that dominates the interior, conveying a sense of calm. The interior design is also created by TKD Architects, creating a cohesion between the architecture and interiors, with loose furniture made from offcuts of stone so it relates to the external structure.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the home’s design is its approach to connection – to family living and the landscape.
Natural light is welcomed through form, cut-outs, skylights and a positioning of glass elements to ensure the right amount of light enters the house at the right time. On the western side of the home, there are screens that open and close. The perforations of those elements are graded; the elements facing the setting sun have fewer holes, whilst those facing the north-western sun have a larger number of holes so that the dappled light entering through them is both a beautiful and functional sight to behold.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the home’s design is its approach to connection – to family living and the landscape. There is a strong visual connection to the surrounding greenery, with views extending to the tree canopy, garden and park whilst retaining a sense of privacy through positioning, orientation and screens. The formation of the house welcomes connection whilst also enabling a sense of separation. For example, the fireplace from Stoke Fireplace Studio divides the living and lounge room but also nurtures connectivity as a centrepiece of the living space as one looks through it.
Double Bay House III proposes a new way of family living, one that is grounded in connection – with the family, the rooms and the landscape – but also one that allows for separation between these elements. By approaching family living in a simple yet innovative way, the resulting home is profoundly cohesive, peaceful and serves as an oasis for the individual as well as the family unit.
