High on a Hill

With far-reaching views over Weyba Creek and the Noosa River to the North Shore, this striking home travels up and down the steep block on four levels, with each level connected by sleek steel, glass and tallow wood stairs.

words: Ann Cadzow
photography: Anastasia Kariofyllidis

Owners Greg and Barbara McRae have created a singular style in this home with an emphasis on the seamless indoor/outdoor flow that is so popular in subtropical climates. At first look, it is impossible to tell whether you are inside the house or out of it. The kitchen, living and outdoor entertaining areas on the main level – one up from street level – are comprised of four spaces all flowing into each other, yet all distinctly separate. It’s the clever use of custom built windows, doors, venetians, louvres and shutters that give such ambiguity to the property.

Huge glass-panelled doors fold and glide gracefully up, floor-to-ceiling windows stack and slide back into cavities, a roller door rolls up, slats in a ceiling vergola skim open, gas strut windows push up and out. With the press of different buttons the house can be partially or completely opened, partially or completely closed. It all makes for a delightful intrigue.

"We wanted to maximise the view, have an open plan and allow for plenty of natural light and breezes", Greg said. "The brief to our architect, Jolyon Robinson, was to give us plenty of light, that was very important."

Taking on the commission presented a major challenge to Jolyon Robinson of Robinson Architects. The block faces west to the glorious views and to capture them in their entirety while restraining the brutal summer sun tested all his talent.

"The aspect is spectacular but that fierce afternoon sun had to be kept at bay," Jolyon said. "So, rather than having a deck that opened up off that (living) level which would have been useless in the afternoon, I wanted to create a living area that is essentially an open platform that can be controlled when it gets too hot or bright."

To that end, the main living area was suspended over the land. External retractable louvre screens wrap around the expansive louvre windows and can be operated from inside as the sun gathers momentum throughout the day.

The internal middle section of the living area opens to the sky as the slats on the vergola above gently open up. The 4x5 metre automated vertical bifolding door opens up to a small steel mesh platform that is an extension of the dining room, a design inspired by a sky walkway. "The steel decking was a great solution as there are no columns beneath it and it is quite transparent at night when the pool lights (below) are on and allows filtered light into the downstairs room," Jolyon said. Polished concrete floors throughout all rooms in the house except the master bedroom create a smooth flow and with the use of steel, glass and grey tones, the house has an almost industrial feel, something the McRaes deliberately strived for. "It is so easy to keep clean," Barbara said. "The whole idea was to have the house transparent right through with plenty of light and UV glass for sun protection. Jolyon introduced touches of red to soften the mostly grey and steel tones. There is red in the glass panels by the front door, red shelves in the kitchen and I put touches of red in cushions and lamps. It softens everything."

Barbara and Greg’s good taste has been garnered over the years they have owned Natuzzi and Viva furniture stores. They travel to Italy each year on buying missions and know all about quality and style.

They have decorated the living areas with a stylish and eclectic mix of pieces – an off-white leather lounge suite, a three metre table made from a single piece of tallow wood to match the five metre long tallow wood kitchen benchtop.

"We sent the wood (for the table) down to Jimmy Possum in Bendigo on a truck," Barbara said. "It came back as a perfect table." Off-white leather Icon dining chairs from their Viva showroom add another dimension of elegance to the table. In the outdoor/ indoor barbeque/entertaining area, Italian teak outdoor lounge furniture with cream cushions offers a hard to resist invitation. Two Italian moulded outdoor tables on casters can be moved easily or joined to make one long table.

Up on the next level, the master bedroom suite is open plan with a timber floor and looks down and out over the living areas to the river and North Shore views.

"I wasn’t keen on the open plan bedroom at first," Barbara said. "I like to go to bed and feel closed in but Greg wanted the bedroom open because of the views. We can see the cars driving along the North Shore at night."

This small problem was solved by the use of olive-coloured sheer curtains running the entire circumference of the bedroom on hospital-style curtain tracks. The result is a romantic hideaway that closes off the bedroom yet still leaves an open feeling and allows the views to dominate.

"The curtains were the perfect solution," Barbara said. "They were made by the House of Drapes in Maroochydore. They billow softly with the through breezes." The walk-in robe and bathroom again highlight the emphasis on light and air-flow with a mass of louvres and windows where outside foliage peeks through. Classic white wash basins, and a square Italian freestanding white bath give it a clean contemporary look. The shower base of glass mosaic adds patterned interest. "It all makes for very easy living," Barbara said. "We don’t want to fuss about the house and we don’t want to be precious about it." Back down at street level, a spacious home office off the entry hall is light-filled with a mass of high windows. It faces the front garden and street and it is here Barbara and Greg operate the administrative side of their businesses. A powder room on this level means no need for loo dashes upstairs while working. Beneath the staircase on the lower level, Jolyon has designed a pond/water feature which, at night when the pond lights are on, creates a dappled reflection through the void right up to the under side of the master bedroom ceiling. "The pond has good thermal qualities," Jolyon said, "it acts like a natural air conditioner. Any breezes coming from below (when the downstairs bifolds are open) are sucked up through the void and over the pond, cooling the upper level."

On this lower level, a spacious rumpus room leads out to the pool and entertaining deck. Two guest bedrooms are served by a large bathroom which continues the classic white and grey theme. Both bedrooms look out to the lush tropical gardens through sheer white curtains over louvred windows. A large laundry with oodles of storage space and a much-loved temperature controlled wine room are also on this lower level.

Outside, the garden flourishes even though it was planted just nine months ago. Noosa landscaper Jacob Stuth of Coastal Bamboo planted black bamboo along fence lines to screen neighbours. "I used a clumping bamboo, a non-invasive type," he said. "I planted gardenias to promote the sensory overload of fragrance and used lots of heliconias and gingers as well as indigenous plants: native frangipani, a cotton tree at the front, grevillias and gingers around the pool. We created a herb garden at the front with Vietnamese mint, lemon grass, basil and other herbs." It’s obvious Barbara and Greg McRae love every aspect of their home and appreciate the level of skill architect Jolyon Robinson put into the property. "He was an absolute delight to work with," they said.

(Article - Queensland Homes Gold 2009 Annual Issue 2009, p 195 - 204.)