Brighton Residence II by Tecture and Studio Tate

In Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Brighton, Tecture and Studio Tate have collaborated on a home that feels far from the average suburban build. The Brighton Residence II asserts its deviation from the status quo from the front entrance, where timber and brick converge in a patterned, textured language. 

Echoing these materials within, Tecture and Studio Tate have put a family home’s form and function first through a well-thought-out material palette and a considered balance of open and intimate spaces. Ensuring a strong indoor-outdoor connection, every part of this home feel like a warm, airy and inviting place to grow up in.

Tecture’s architectural brief was for a generous family home with three bedrooms, a private guest suite, two living zones, a rumpus room, study, laundry, scullery, and children’s entry – ‘drop zone’. The open plan living was to fold out onto the manicured rear yard, where an outdoor dining area, pool and pool house accentuate the importance of the indoor-outdoor relationship. This connection is felt considerably in the open-plan living areas through the full-height glazing, that opens up effortlessly to create fantastic visibility for the parents from the comfort of the kitchen. The strategically-placed windows and voids above also seize every opportunity to let light in.  

The Brighton Residence II makes an architectural statement through its use of materials, cementing the home’s relaxed and practical personality. The brick front facade nearly envelopes the timber battens; the timber battens a signature stamp in Tecture’s modern homes. Tecture creates interest through alternate brick-laying techniques such as hit-and-miss brickwork, expressing its challenge of the suburban brick typology. The intermittent pattern of the timber also makes a spectacular appearance at the rear of the home, bringing a timber coastal home aesthetic.

Corresponding with the material palette outside, the bricks have been left exposed in the open plan kitchen and dining space, as well as the segmented living space. These hard-edged bricks are softened by the honey-coloured timber flooring, that too lifts cues from the timber exterior. All materials in this central living area are underpinned by their no-fuss, hard-wearing qualities. 

What’s particularly notable about the kitchen is the concealed wall of black cabinetry, highlighted by the elongated skylight above. It almost disguises itself through how well it subtly integrates into space. Elsewhere, black fixtures punctuate the tonal grey palette.  The reconstituted stone benchtop wrapped in the same terrazzo as the splashback is designed specifically for a family of serious cooks, where the kids can gather around. The home’s motif of clean lines is further enhanced by the Highline Pendant from Rakumba Lighting.

Custom storage reigns supreme in this family home, best seen in the informal living space, with its open fireplace creating a cosy atmosphere. Here you’ll find Danish design icons such as the Flag Halyard Chair by Hans J Wegner and the Mags Soft Sofa from HAY; ideal pieces to take comfort in by the fire.

The sunken formal living space is segmented from the open plan living area through concertina steel frame doors, with a bespoke fluted detail. This sophisticated contrast bears the marks of Studio Tate’s interior eye and art curation, through the navy carpet, soft grey paint and a rich colour transition.

The bricks’ geometric dialogue is brought into the bathroom areas through the small-format monochrome tiles, white tiles with black grout. Terrazzo is repeated as a hard-wearing base for the bathrooms and laundry, in addition to more statement black fixtures, such as the Pheonix Tapware Vivid Slimline Oval Floor Mounted Bath Mixer.

Pragmatic and full of personality, Brighton Residence II by Tecture and Studio Tate establishes itself as a standout example for family living in its bayside neighbourhood.