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Emili Fox, the director of Sydney based architectural practice Fox Johnston, has designed a contemporary, multi-generational home for her young family in Sydney’s inner west. A playground for experimentation and testing, the design team were able to further integrate their ideas about modest living and implement their design philosophy in Fox’s own home.

The 260 square metre site is accessible from two streets on top of a hill, sloping down to a foreshore reserve. The somewhat challenging site conditions were used as an opportunity to introduce a self-contained suite and garage with private access for family guests or Fox’s parents. The lower level can flow seamlessly into the main house or be locked for privacy, resulting in an elegant answer to multi-generational living that equally allows for connection and independence.

The lower level forms a platform for the main house, allowing for living areas to unfold seamlessly from the front street with uninterrupted views to the harbour. Living spaces become intertwined with greenery, differing micro gardens acting as the main connective tissue within the home, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior spaces. The gardens become central to the spatial planning of the home; the differing personalities constructed around them distinguishing functions like living, dining and kitchen areas.

Although the home is closely surrounded by neighbouring properties, sustained and curated vistas of the rooftop cactus garden, the walled courtyard or the harbour-view, allows occupants to feel as though they are secluded in a private oasis unaware of the presence of others around them – a luxury in a densely populated area.

Ballast Point House uses a simple and robust material palette delivering a laidback yet refined result. The lower levels feature recycled bricks – some left raw and others painted, coupled with exposed concrete floors and ceilings. Pale plywood joinery and blonde Accoya timber window and door frames form a restrained scheme, which comes alive under the soft light of the sun. There is a noticeably softer approach upstairs with duck egg blue faceted ceilings and a deep indigo carpet, signalling movement into the more private area of the home.

Sustainability was one of the main goals of the project, with environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principles implemented to ensure the most responsible outcome was achieved. Rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse, coupled with solar panels and supplementary battery storage, allow the house to be 92% off the grid. Reliance on thermal mass, operable low-E window glazing and timber sliding screens on upper windows maintain moderate interior temperatures throughout the year.

This family home weaves together sustainable and environmentally responsible practices with honest and timeless design, the building coming to symbolise Emili Fox’s deep appreciation for family and nature.

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