Perfectly positioned to ensure an easy flow from inside to out, the lavish outdoor room offers the family everything they need to entertain — day or night, summer or winter. It forms part of an extensive outdoor entertaining zone encompassing a swimming pool and a reimagined garden, all designed with meticulous attention to detail by A Total Concept.
“The outdoor entertaining room was set immediately adjacent to the house, right outside the home’s indoor lounge area and kitchen,” explains John Storch, landscape architect and founder of A Total Concept. “It runs the full width of the property and was designed as a broad, sunken area.
“Developed for a large family that often entertains large numbers, the outdoor room includes a fireplace, kitchenette, a wall-mounted LCD television and separate spaces for dining and lounging. By simply relocating the furniture, this adaptable area can easily accommodate more than 100 people, which is something the family does several times a year.”
Two sections of the roof are fitted with louvres which can be automatically opened or closed as desired, there is a ceiling fan to cool things in summer, and built-in floating timber bench seats. When entertaining, the wide steps that lead up to the lawn area and pool can be used as overflow seating for children.
The gas fireplace, which is set within sandstone-clad surrounds, makes a strong visual statement while helping to engender a relaxed mood. The contemporary, custom kitchenette sits on the other side of the outdoor room in front of a detailed timber screen designed to swivel on a hinge to provide access to the reimagined garden area.
The kitchenette incorporates built-in timber cabinetry, an off-form concrete splashback and benchtop with waterfall edges, an under-mounted sink, and a stainless-steel fridge, dishwasher, barbecue and wok burner.
“An existing structure at the rear of the property was renovated as a children’s rumpus room and is far enough away so that when the new steel-framed doors are closed, loud music and electronic games are not heard in the main home,” says John. “The central space located between the house and rumpus incorporates the geometric pool, lawn and garden areas.
“The Royal Blue glass tile used to clad the interior of the pool and spa contrasts beautifully with the sandstone-look porcelain tile used for the paving and the natural rockfaced sandstone walling; also the timber elements. In turn, these materials complement the medley of greens created by the lawn and plants.”
The planting palette is eclectic and includes bromeliads, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ (kidney weed) and two hardy succulents, Senecio serpens (blue chalk sticks) and Carpobrotus glaucescens (pig face). There are also edible plants growing in a bookshelf-style wall garden feature.
At night, a carefully conceived lighting plan, which includes step lighting and downlights in the ceiling of the outdoor room, comes into play, creating an inviting ambience with washes of light and dancing shadows.
“The visual simplicity of the overall design and the subtle, repeated use of quality materials unifies the project. The end result is a beautiful, well-integrated lifestyle and entertaining complex for the owners of this property — a total concept,” says John.
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