HOME DESIGN:

Building a sustainable home

Having bought a house on a large block in North Melbourne’s Coburg back in 1993, Tony Stuart knew he’d one day do something creative with the deep backyard.

So when he met fellow architect and furniture designer Polly Bastow, his now wife and mother to their son Henry, 13, it wasn’t long before the pair decided to not only start up their own business, Form Architecture Furniture, but to build a two-story workshop and studio office so they could work close to home.

That project was completed in

2001. “Then, after a couple of years, we started thinking it would be nice to build a new house for ourselves,” says Tony, 57, adding they were keen to utilise the sustainable principles they put to work for their own clients. “We thought, ‘How can we do it in such a way that we can build a new house, but still have access to the studio?’”

Fate intervened when their nextdoor neighbours decided to sell. The pair snapped it up and then, a few years later, also managed to purchase the corner block next to that.

Utilising all three adjoining backyards, Tony and Polly now had a green light to create their dream property, which was completed in 2016.

“It meant we could build the north facing house we wanted and still keep the pre-existing houses there with reasonable gardens,” says Polly, 51. “We could have space where everything is connected and we could make a tiny community.”

“We rent the three houses at the front, they are our superannuation,” adds Tony. “The people who rent them are friends we met through Henry’s primary school. We’ve taken down the fence and put in a gate so people can pop in the back and see each other.”

The light drenched two-story, 220 square metre home is equally built for socialising – as well as for intimate family downtime.

Furniture design

The home was designed to fit around the furniture they already owned – and which Tony designed – rather than finding pieces to fit a finished product.

Open, yet cosy, on the ground floor the large kitchen, dining and family room area is where the trio spend much of their time. A study nook is the perfect place for each family member to concentrate on projects while still being part of the action. Henry practices piano and does his homework, Polly loves to draw in the space and the shared computer lives there too. “I like that it’s a place where people can do work while still being part of the family, but not in the thick of it,” says Polly.

A sliding door separates a second family area where they retreat after dinner to watch TV. It’s also where guests stay, with a pull-down bed built into the wall and a second bathroom with a shower adjacent.

“It was a good way to avoid having a separate bedroom without having a room that is empty most of the year,” explains Polly of the layout.

Upstairs are the shared family bathroom, the master, and Henry’s room which was designed to grow with him as he gets older.

“Henry’s an only child and that makes it easy to indulge him a bit,” smiles Tony. “He wanted a bunk bed and the room was the size where we could have two single mattresses end-to-end so he could have friends sleep over. But there’s plenty of space in there for a double bed, which he’s already talking about having now.”

A sliding door opens onto a private courtyard for Henry, where he lately has been growing tulips.

“It’s nice because he can have the door wide open at night in the summer with a flyscreen and you have this incredible cross-ventilation coming through,” says Polly, adding that passive solar principles were front of mind in the build, ensuring that ventilation and external shading would keep their home cool in the summer months while retaining the heat in the winter months.

“We approached sustainability from the very simple principles of the correct orientation, use of materials and making sure that there is good garden space,” says Polly.

Recycled bricks and timber were used throughout, a water tank provides captured rainwater for the gardens and toilets and the exterior walls are made of lowmaintenance cladding.

“We wanted to build a house that showcased all our architectural ideas,” says Polly of their beautiful – yet environmentally friendly – home. “Now we can show our clients the ideas we have and they can see them in action.” AWW