Castlecrag residence is located in the Sydney harbor side suburb of Castlecrag, Australia and was designed by studio CplusC Architectural Workshop. The mid-20th century brick bungalow has undergone a complete transformation to an open, light filled contemporary home, embracing the ideals of Walter Burley Griffin’s design legacy for Castlecrag “Building for Nature”.

Here is a description of the project from the architects, “the kitchen is the pivotal room in the home, with Western Red Cedar doors disappearing seamlessly behind recycled brickwork allowing the internal living space to extend to a double-volume outdoor living space where spotted gum decking leads to the garden and swimming pool. The external use of timber for seating, decking, fencing and screening terminates in a garden pavilion and transforms the yard into an intimate, peaceful oasis within a dense suburban context for the enjoyment of the client and their young family.

The Architect has drawn upon the functional and aesthetic qualities of timber to heighten the experience of the home. The natural warmth of timber has been utilized in all applications of the home from structure, cladding, the internal finishes and external amenities.

The spatial planning of the home locates the private bedroom spaces on the first floor and social living and social spaces on the ground floor. The select grade Spotted Gum flooring develops continuity between these zones through a palette of warm honey tones. The bold Spotted Gum stair anchors these spaces and brings the natural warmth of the timber into the heart of the home.” Via

The cabinetry of the home utilizes the finish and efficiency of Blackbutt timber veneer and the focal point of the kitchen is a laminated Blackbutt Island bench.

Complementing the golden colors of the interior timbers a custom Oregon dining table formed from the original roof beams becomes the centerpiece of the home.

Photos: Murray Fredericks and Simon Whitbread