Located in Breamlea, between a serene native wetlands national park and a rugged surf beach, this home had a stunning location, but you wouldn't know from the inside!
This former post office suffered a hangover from its past life. With high-silled windows and double blinds to provide privacy and protection from the harsh afternoon sun, the home was left feeling disconnected from the outdoors. "The house had so little connection with the outdoors it could have been anywhere", says architect Fooi Ling-Khoo from OOF! Architecture.
With a tight budget, the architects worked hard to transform the house. "We had to think really hard about how our client could get the most bang for their buck so we focused on what bugged them most about the house."
The solution was to remove the high-silled windows and remove almost the whole front of the house from floor to ceiling. Asymmetrical wooden shutters were installed to provide privacy and protection from the sun. The benefit of the unique asymmetrical design? They allow the owners to screen the sun, while still maintaining the best of the views.
"The green shutters may look a bit random if you just look at them from outside but we tried to make all the work here from the inside out so it's the interior view that counts. The shutters are all about being on the inside looking out - how the views are framed, how the light is filtered, how the variegated green of the shutter frames sit against the landscape of the wetlands. We investigated a few different configurations, including the conventional french door type but the asymmetrical shapes worked best. They allow the top or bottom part of the window to be screened from the sun while always keeping key parts of view open." - Fooi Ling-Khoo from OOF! Architecture
When open, the shutters also create a sense of space between inside and outside, which is a bit like a verandah even though there wasn't the room or budget for an actual verandah. Fooi also noticed another benefit of the shutters, "the busy-ness of the overlapping frames and colours from the outside also provides privacy as they are so distracting!"
A new plywood kitchen completes this transformed living area, giving the home a relaxed, modern flair.
At last this beach house feels like a beach house. After all, what's the point of living near the beach if you can't enjoy the sites and sounds of nature from the comfort of your home?
Existing Floor Plan
New Floor Plan