Gumbaynggirr people of Gumbaynggirr Country
NSW Regional
Regional
Walking home from the beach, through the bush, and onto the raised deck, the structure’s floating canopies recall informal shelters of bush camps and picnic structures located in the adjacent Jagun Nature Reserve.
Rather than framing views of the environment, the house seeks companionship with it. Daily life unfolds alongside the landscape, inviting occupants and visitors to inhabit the threshold between indoors and out, while contemplating their relationship with place.
The street entry is marked by a large sliding gate and front door, opening to reveal a sequence of spaces abutting a central deck. More than a veranda, less than a room, this deck acts as an expansive, semi-enclosed living space, unified beneath two intersecting gable roofs.
With more sheltered external volume than internal footprint, the house doesn’t demand outdoor use, but facilitates it, gently and generously, attuned to the beachside climate and informal lifestyle of the Mid North Coast.
“Living here is all about being outside, between the forest and sea. The central raised deck is my natural living zone, where I bathe in the winter morning sun or sit protected from torrential rain. It’s a member’s stand for backyard cricket matches, an impromptu jam-room or a quiet space for contemplation after long stints away working in rough, remote environments.”
“The raked ceilings, floating roofs & timber structures feel reminiscent of my youth spent in the hippy valleys behind Bellingen, and critically, holds potential to expand the home under the existing canopy with a family planned down the track.”