← Projects
Z House
A living breathing home
Interiors, Residential
The two-storey house draws in abundant daylight through two offset courtyards, responding to the need for a light-filled and airy home where young children can grow and thrive. The previous dwelling on the site had suffered from persistent dampness, flooding, and a lack of daylight due to the scale of neighbouring properties and the orientation of openings. The new home was conceived as its antithesis, a place of recovery and wellbeing, a living breathing home defined by generosity of light and openness to coastal sea breezes. It is also designed to become the house on the street where friends gather and play. Two living spaces on the ground floor are separated by a courtyard, providing flexible zones for concurrent entertaining. Retractable doors allow the secondary living area to function as guest accommodation when needed. A homework bench is strategically positioned adjacent to the kitchen and oriented toward the courtyard, while a home office sits directly above, creating opportunities to gaze out and rest the eyes.
The two courtyards, north and south, are staggered to form a Z-shape in plan, peeling open the footprint to draw in light and air while delineating distinct zones. A stair to the north also functions as a light scoop, which is paired with a meshed floor. The upper level contains three bedrooms and a parents’ retreat with a generous ensuite and walk-in robe. Slatted timber shutters to the west provide shade and privacy to the bedrooms while animating the facade. Floodwater storage and controlled release are facilitated through an elevated ground plane with hit and miss brickwork.
A place of recovery and wellbeing, a living breathing home defined by generosity of light and openness to coastal sea breezes.
The two courtyards, north and south, are staggered to form a Z-shape in plan, peeling open the footprint to draw in light and air while delineating distinct zones. A stair to the north also functions as a light scoop, which is paired with a meshed floor.
Two living spaces on the ground floor are separated by a courtyard, providing flexible zones for concurrent entertaining.
Slatted timber shutters to the west provide shade and privacy to the bedrooms while animating the facade.
From the outset, Adriano challenged the conventional approach and created a home that is truly unique. In a suburb where many new builds can feel predictable, he designed something with real character, warmth and individuality that stands apart, while still feeling perfectly at home in North Bondi.
Adriano designed a home flooded with natural light from every angle. The way light moves through the house throughout the day, filtering through the front shutters and internal courtyards, is extraordinary and something we could never have imagined when we first started the project. His use of courtyards, voids and spatial planning has created a home that feels bright, open and connected to the outdoors in every season.
Equally impressive is the way the home flows. Adriano created a seamless connection from the front of the house through to the rear entertaining areas, with every space feeling connected, purposeful and effortless to live in. The balance between privacy, family living and entertaining is exceptional, and the home feels far larger and more open than we ever thought possible on the land size.
Adriano listened carefully to how our family wanted to live. Every detail feels considered, every space serves a purpose, and the home works effortlessly for both family life and entertaining.
We are enormously grateful for what Adriano and his fabulous team created, and we would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for an architect who combines creativity, vision and a genuine understanding of how people live.
