2021 Master Builders and Asset Construction Hire Excellence Awards House of the Year

The 2021 House of the Year is an outstanding 2,000m² home that sits on a 4,900m² heritage block in the heart of Forrest. The home has a sense of harmony that comes from the nature that surrounds this serene abode. The design brief was to create a home that incorporated work, hobbies, family and extended family. This was achieved by creating different wings in the house to produce cohesive, yet segregated spaces. The home has the perfect amount of indulgence with a Lego room, home theatre, commercial lift and a handsome library completing the home.

The three stories reach up to the glorious rooftop terrace, so that the clients can enjoy a calming retreat from their busy lives. The home has a secure basement server room that acts as the brain of the home, as well as providing extra storage and speciality equipment. There is also a strong focus on running the home using energy efficient practices. This includes installing 72 solar panels along the roofline and adding a 90,000-litre ground water tank.

The 7-metre-long fishpond at the back of the house is the perfect symbol of the peace, flow and harmony that has gone into making the home. The beautiful 15-metre pool and rooftop spa complete the aquatic entertaining spaces.

Staircase

A pivotal change in the design process, included transforming the staircase into a stunning feature in the home. The inspiration for the client was the glass staircase in the Apple California store, with the teams deciding on a combination of structural glass stringer balustrade that supports the floating timber treads.

Kitchen

The kitchen in this winning home, is the ultimate space for avid foodies, with impressive features such as two luxurious island benches and a generous butler’s pantry. The rich blackwood timber front island bench is the perfect warm welcome into this spacious kitchen. The front island also acts as a workspace, while the central island can be used as a functional meal preparation space. The central island utilises a crisp white colour palette to reflect the light from the overheard skylights, around the kitchen.

The wall of rich, charcoal grooved panelling cleverly conceals the entry to the roomy butler’s pantry, that is built with impressive bench space and open shelving. To top off the ultimate entertainer’s space, the kitchen is equipped with all the latest appliances including a large wine fridge, an integrated column fridge and warming drawers. MBA Member Capital Veneering were part of the team that brought this kitchen to life.

Lego/Games room

The expansive Lego room is a carefully planned space that required lighting and display cabinetry that would best serve the Danish brick creations.  With specialist lighting, it also acts as the perfect office/gaming space, that is a supreme celebration of the owner’s life passions.

Home theatre

This room is particularly structurally impressive, with the proportions of the room specifically designed for optimum acoustics. Concrete walls and a concrete roof were added to the theatre to ensure sound does not  travel throughout the rest of the home. The room was also acoustically lined to create a space that allowed for the perfect sound experience.

Master Bathroom

The stunning master bathroom provides 36m² of wet area with a centre island bath and double shower space with ceiling mounted shower heads, included in the space.

The bath is centred in the room so that the homeowners can enjoy the beautiful treetop views from their luxurious bath. The bath tapware is cleverly concealed in the multi-function wall to keep with the sleek, modern design. The Dept. of Design created a monolithic stone bath hob which integrates storage as well as a mounting location for the bath spout to aid this seamless design.

The toilet is hidden behind a porcelain door that blends into the wall of marble. This allows for the beautiful design to stand out, while concealing the functional elements of the room.

The bathroom is fitted with all the modern amenities a family could ever need, including heated towel rails, LED strip lighting, in slab heating and bathroom exhaust, lighting and audio are controlled through a smart device.

Wardrobe

The spacious his and her closets provide ample room for clothing, shoes, accessories and luggage. The plentiful hanging space makes choosing an outfit a breeze with all clothes beautifully displayed. The wardrobe carries on the space and functionality from the other rooms in the house. Every nook and cranny in both closets is carefully designed and delivered to suit the homeowners. In this generous walk-in closet, the teams maximised every inch of space.

Backyard

The 4,900m² block is complemented by the addition of a generous 15 metre by 5 metre pool. The fishpond symbolises the homeowners strong tie to the local flora and fauna. The generous block sings with the retention of the beautiful heritage trees and the classic style hedging used to give the landscape heart and soul. The use of Wee Jasper stone around the pool concourse delivers a timeless look and a durability that will make it stand the test of time.