Bayside Contemporary Colonial

The essence of the project sought to infuse the core of an original colonial home into more expansive contemporary extension deeper into the property. This exceptional infusion of colonial and modern architecture touching onto an elevated landscape overlooking Port Philip Bay creates one of Victorias most beautiful homes.

With expansive grounds meandering through mature gardens, pool and spa environments, a forest path also leads one through a clifftop gully down to a secluded beach. It’s easy to lose oneself in the overall project and feel immediately transported into something truly magical.

The client having previously lived in a fully automated home sought to expand pervious user experiences with a particular emphasis on solving living over a more expansive site in a more simplified way, and with a greater emphasis on solutions that made the habitable indoor and outdoor spaces more responsive with the interaction of smart lighting, comfort, and entertainment.

For outdoor entertaining, sound extends from Alfresco areas to pool and spa overlooking the waterfront. An automated hidden TV slides magically out from the Alfresco woodstore and is incorporated into the wider outdoor sound system for enhanced and diverse entertaining possibilities.

Music flows through a majority of indoor areas; fully controllable for independent room content through to shared music when entertaining or meandering through the wider home in a casual and relaxing way. Every space is joyous and fully adaptable.

A video distribution system allows for sharing multiple Foxtel services, Apple TV boxes and CCTV over the property, so choice in content, independent or shared with other rooms is instantaneously available. Across many of the rooms, from casual and formal TV rooms, bedrooms, cinema, and outdoor areas, it’s easy to enter the space, then select the music or TV experience desired in the moment and be spoilt for choice. An integrated TV and music system design further enhances the TV content fidelity solving generous open plan areas and spacious rooms. Smart room controls not only control entertainment but lighting, blinds, and air-conditioning, all with the convenience one would wish for.

Many rooms are fitted with hidden TV motorisation too, so the décor and elegant joinery makes for delightful rooms without TV’s being the dominant feature. Then through smart control, TV’s appear from cabinets, hidden wall cavities, or even a bed-end blanket box at the end of the bed solving for un-impeded views over the water. A mortised projection screen in the cinema transforms the room for cinematic viewing. This project truly emphasises how hidden technologies make an amazing difference to any interior design.

For lighting, the home has that wonderful blend of subtle indirect strip lighting to accentuate room design features and fitted joinery, decorative lights for greater enhancement of interior design, and task lighting to furniture and bedside-layouts. When entering any space, it’s effortless to select with one press, a choice of pre-configured comfort settings that creates the relaxation or task illumination desired for the moment while maximising the interior design statements.

Smart motion sensors allow convenient paths of light into ensuites, robes and quick walkthrough areas. Even soft glow light, automatically when entering a space late at night. Smart switches provide that additional convenience to transform the rooms with full personalisation, so the desired illumination is immediately adaptable.

Throughout the property, an extensive use of motorised blinds, external shades and skylights allow additional adaption of light, comfort, and privacy – all controlled from the smart light switches. So, when entering any space, its instantaneously simple to adapt the space, just how you like it.

When entertaining, retiring to bed, using the grounds at night, or staring off the day in the morning, one-touch scenes adapt the home systems for immediate convenience for all the services relied upon solving the typical living patterns. Its hard to image living in a home and property of this scale without the simplicity and convenience a smart design brings.

Over an expansive site, a security overlay allows peace of mind. Combined with CCTV, additional security is effortlessly at hand via touchscreens and smartphones too, at home or away. In fact, all the property services from entertainment, lighting, blinds, heating and cooling, intercom and security are instantly available through conveniently located touchscreens and all in one smartphone app anywhere. So, from any room when entertaining, roaming the grounds, or managing a delivery while away form the property, the connected convenience solves living across the whole property or away with ease.

When moving through the grounds, accessing the property from the street, or beach, or having service providers coming and from the property, secure keyless entry allows the level of secure keyless access and convenience for any family member or service provider to the property. And all easily manageable by the homeowner as needs change. And for impromptu deliveries, intercom anywhere and full gate control from smartphones or touchscreens ensures a safe delivery.

An important aspect of the project is in how the architectural, interior design and home automation was developed in unison so that every detail was able to be workshopped and designed holistically. The outcomes speak for themselves in a truly organic, responsive, and captivating home.