Located in the quaint ‘shack’ town of Opossum Bay, this project involved transforming an ordinary 1970s brick veneer house into a beautiful holiday home.
The project’s brief was to enhance the home’s connection to the Derwent River and provide a flexible living space.
The arrival through narrow laneways lined with tightly packed shacks all jostling for position, coupled with the house’s mute and modest façade, hides the connection with the Derwent River. However, once you enter, the river is uncompromisingly revealed through full-height glazing that stretches the width of the rear elevation . An expansive deck, running the full width of the house, draws you out to the edge, closer to the view.
It is not until you have been to the edge that you turn back. You then find the kitchen, tucked neatly beside the entry, and the master bedroom suite adjacent the dining, concealed by a sliding plywood screen.
The flexibile plan allows the house to be used in different ways.
If not required for sleeping, the master bedroom suite can be opened fully, increasing the living space.
Another bedroom suite to the rear of the kitchen, behind a sneaky hidden door, opens to a north-facing private courtyard.
Tas Oak and simple detailing provides an honest and contrasting base for the owners’ furniture collection.
Sustainability is imperative as the house operates 100% on harvested rainwater. The new xeriscape landscape requires little watering and maintenance.
Photos by Kate Burton
