For the owners of this city-fringe home, the enjoyment of the charms of a Californian bungalow, built in 1928, was tempered by common problems: disconnection from the landscape, poor layout, fast-failing 1980s interventions, and a general lack of space for a growing family. 

The response was to create a split-level addition to the home, rectifying the planning of the house and creating an easy linkage to the garden, with clear sightlines from one end of the house to the other.

The material palette was the result of a desire to create unusual experiences with cost-effective materials. It also acknowledges that how we design – and the colours, texture and materials we use – affects the way we feel when we occupy space. The yellow floor, for instance, reflects a warm light throughout the interior, creating the feeling of sunshine even on the most dreary winter day. The mill-finished aluminium cladding chosen for the exterior allowed fast and efficient construction – but it is also a dynamic facade that draws soft reflections of the garden and sky onto its ever-changing surface.