Sydney-based Tobias Partners design a sustainable garden home that prioritises indoor-outdoor living in Central Tilba, New South Wales.
Haxstead Garden House lies within a rural family estate in the Central Tilba, home to a family of four. It was designed by Tobias Partners, known for their fundamentally sustainable portfolio, who devised a comfortable family home that offers protection from the harsh climate. Through a robust, monolithic palette, Haxstead Garden House integrates respectfully into its landscaped gardens and the surrounding native bushland.
The home is accessible via an unconventional entry point through the dining room.
With an uncomplicated rectangular floorplan that acts as a shield from the southerly winds, every room within the Haxstead Garden House is drenched in natural light. A paved path leads you into the protected front courtyard and through to the home, subtly set into its surrounds. Accessible via an unconventional entry point through the dining room, you’re welcomed into a tactile and inviting space of concrete, stone and timber; setting the tone for the restrained interior to follow.
A series of prefabricated steel portal-frames complete with full-height windows create the rooms along the building’s length that open up to the manicured garden, chosen for their ability to withstand the site’s corrosive coastal environment. Sheltered by the house, the northern garden creates a microclimate that allows the family to use the pool and outdoor dining area at any time of the year.
On the opposite side of the home, the west-facing wall lets nature take precedence over the architecture, providing glimpses of the Sapphire Coast through glazing that runs throughout the expanse of the home. Inside, plywood panels clad the walls and ceiling of the home, adding a sense of warmth and familiarity to the space and contrasting the matt black fittings and white cabinetry.
The kitchen features the K65 High Chair and K66 Dining Chair, both by Alvar Aalto for Artek. A L’Oiseau Bird in wood designed by French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra sits on the concrete fireplace hearth.
Full-height streamlined cabinetry cleverly conceals storage in the kitchen. A slimline pendant hangs gently over the white island bench, contrasted by black bar stools and matt black tapware.
The west-facing wall lets nature take precedence over the architecture by providing glimpses of the Sapphire Coast through glazing that runs throughout the expanse of the home. The 1A Table Lamp by Isamu Noguchi for Vitra sits lightly on the Artek Stool by Alvar Aalto.
Views of the courtyard are visible from every room in the home.
Tobias Partners have placed sustainability at the forefront of their design, ensuring that the home is low maintenance and incredibly long-lasting. Located in a high rainfall area, the Central Tilba region is also prone to drought. Combating this, a large concrete gutter maximises rainwater and acts as bushfire protection. Underfloor hydronic heating and external operable blinds assist in the home’s environmentally-conscious response.
Tobias Partners abandoned any form of superfluous detail in their quest to design a long-lasting home, creating a purposeful and sustainable family haven that values the rural environment it inhabits.
A series of prefabricated steel portal-frames complete with full-height windows create the rooms along the building’s length that open up to the manicured garden.
