An expression of Australian sub-tropical living and oozing a Palm Springs aesthetic, Amaroo house situated in Brisbane’s inner west is a high-end family home that centres around interior and exterior connectivity. Located on a challenging sloped block in the leafy suburb of Bardon, Alexandra Buchanan Architecture sought to create a city escape for the clients, designing a home that is at once hidden from the world while still highly connected to its exterior surroundings.

The design brief was driven by the sloped nature of the site, a major factor in determining the residence’s spatial arrangement. An elevated L-shaped floor plan forms a protected courtyard in the property while maximising views and allowing for seamless interaction with the outdoor spaces. A floating lightness is given to the facade through cantilevered forms, a striking feature that also provides privacy and heat protection to the lower living areas. A screened facade envelops the upper level in a textured white shell, acting as further shading while producing ever-changing shadows from the ample Queensland sun in the upper stairs bedrooms.

Focused on connectivity, the downstairs living areas are light and warm, with large sliding stacked doors stretching the building’s perimeter and enabling unobstructed access to the property’s exterior landscape. Finished in soft terrazzo flooring, timber joinery and Eco Outdoor “Crackenback” Stone the kitchen and living finishes are seamlessly blended, spanning the spaces between the house and adjacent pool decking, making one the extension of the other.

An escape for the clients, resort living is at the core of the design, with smart spatial planning producing flow and circulation throughout the home, breaking down defined room boundaries. Amaroo’s design enables choices, the living and dining areas can be concealed, and homely, or exposed, an extension of the luxurious pool, creating the impression of the living area as a pool house or pavilion.

“The clients wanted to create a resort feel that was light & open with the balance of still being warm, textural and homely – an escape from the city.” explains the studio.

While minimalistic and simple, textured furniture and the client’s expressive art collection brings depth to the residence’s interior design. Taking a backseat, allowing the surrounding landscape and greenery to take centre stage, the result is a space in which one doesn’t know where the home ends and the landscape begins.