A balancing act

Between outside and inside, between public and hidden.

hiding the home behind a privacy hedge or fence – the architect designed a home that embraces the neighbourhood. With floor-toceiling glass windows on the transparent first floor, it does not so much expose the family as engage them with their neighbours.

Hibler says the home’s design sensibility was clear: “We didn’t want to put up a wall. I wanted something crazy – communal and not highly finished.”

Yantrasast, who is of Thai descent, says he is not a fan of cladding things with expensive materials. “There must be a better way to create refinement,” he says. “I like concrete because it has a sense of gravitas. It is a great balance of roughness and refinement. It is refined because of the craftsmanship you put into it.”

After one year in the design stage and two years of construction, the couple moved into the house recently. In the end, they are happy with the way the living areas balance privacy and community, both with their neighbours and with one another.

“I knew from the beginning that he would not want a normal house,” Yantrasast says of Hibler, who grew up in a distinctive Eichler house (developer Joseph Eichler was renowned for working with modernist architects in the mid-1940s).

“Because they have a young daughter, we wanted to create a world where they can be free to roam and connect to the neighbourhood.”

Starting from scratch, Yantrasast designed an almost 300sq m house “from the inside out” rather than the outside in.

He explains: “If you design from the outside in, all the windows will look alike. This house is the opposite of that. When you design from the inside out, each room can be different. I wanted each room to have its own personality.”

The vision was to balance family and community life while giving everyone their own spaces to exist and function.

The house is a series of contrasts – the first floor is composed of concrete and glass while the second floor features a warm wood floor and colourful Granada tile – but then so is the couple.

“I’m an introvert and he’s an

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The backyard view of the house. Huge sliding glass doors provide plenty of air throughout their home. — Photos: TNS

The master bedroom. Unlike the concrete and glass downstairs, the upstairs where the bedrooms are is more bohemian, with wood floors and beams.

Rochelle and Grace in the living room area bookcase can be left as open as it is or pac