The Suncatcher House oozes 1950s Palm Springs vibes and is undeniably cool. From its resort-style pool, bifold doors and bright and breezy interior, this home is one we couldn’t wait to explore.
We chat with Nic Raath, Partner at Create Architecture, who helped bring this beauty to life.
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Home to a busy, energetic family of 5, the Suncatcher House boasts an unusual floorplan.
“The plan is divided into two wings connected by a link and focused on internal courtyards,” Nic explains.
“The kids wing to the north consists of 2 bedrooms, a shared bathroom and the garage with access through to the service courtyard behind.
“The living pavilion is at the rear of the home, oriented north towards the swimming pool courtyard.
“The link is home to a study, laundry and the master bedroom with ensuite which looks out onto its own private landscaped courtyard.”
The owners of this amazing build wanted their first home to be beautiful, yet functional for their young family.
“The brief from the owners was quite simple really. It needed to be efficient in every way,” says Nic.
“This meant a modest plan, clever use of light and breeze, and most importantly, cost effective. Because of these factors, things such as light and spatial quality were prioritised over excess.”
The result is a humble home, designed with the idea of quality over quantity.
Situated on a challenging site, the team at Create Architecture had to do some savvy planning when designing the home.
“Without going into too much architect-speak, the site is 35m on the east and west axis’ and only 15m wide on the north and south. Therefore, to get as many rooms as possible to face north for a single-level home, we had to split the plan into pavilions, orientated to internal courtyards.
“The upside to this is the courtyards create opportunities for privacy, light and also breeze,” says Nic.
“It’s funny, but the best room in the house turned out to be the part left over! The courtyard!”
The qualities of this space are the perfect blend of light, water, landscape and air.
Before engaging the Create team, the home owners struggled to find exactly what they were looking for in their first home.
“The family had been down the typical path of exploring pre-designed plans but soon realised they needed more of a unique approach to achieve a good outcome on a difficult site.
“After showing them how we would tackle the project with just a few sketches, they became comfortable for us to take the lead. The whole process was a creative and collaborative partnership between us and the owners.”
Those Palm Springs vibes can be seen through the desert landscaping, breezeblock walls and of course… the palm tree.
“We’d like to think the Suncatcher House reflects a modern Australian coastal lifestyle. But there is no doubt we acquired some inspiration from those 1950s Palm Springs classics,” says Nic.
“This home offers so much natural light through the high windows filtering into where it is often difficult to get light. The beautiful dappled light comes through thanks to the bamboo screening and patterned light through external breezeblock walls.
“These gestures leave the home with a light-filled airiness that is quite uncommon on such a restrained suburban block.”
Big thank you to Nic for taking us on a tour around the Suncatcher House. To see what other projects Create Architecture are working on, visit their website and also their Instagram.
Credits
Photography: Andy Macpherson Studio
Builder: Sanctuary 28
Engineer: Westera Partners
More home tours here
