The owners of 'The Ash' approached &Dalecki with a vision for a light-filled home featuring a functional layout and a carefully selected, mixed material palette. As a growing family, their needs required a home adaptable for different life stages while fostering a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, maximising the block’s northern aspect.

Through collaboration, &Dalecki created a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home designed for longevity. The materials used are durable, ensuring they age beautifully alongside the family. The U-shaped layout forms a central courtyard that enhances the indoor/outdoor connection, providing views from every room and allowing sunlight to pour into the living areas.

Strategically placed openings capture the northern sun in winter and summer breezes, while the southern pond helps cool the air entering the home. The landscape design ensures green views from every room, with a rooftop garden offering a grounding connection to the surroundings.

The layered material palette, featuring brick, blockwork, concrete, and timber, flows seamlessly from inside to out, enhancing the cohesion between spaces. Upon entry, an obscured view of the central courtyard through a breeze wall screen offers a sense of privacy while creating an immediate connection with the outdoors.

The design separates the home into two distinct zones, ensuring privacy for both the parents and children. Despite its compact footprint, the layout maximises functionality with easy navigation between spaces, maintaining connection and ease of movement.

A two-and-a-half-storey entry void with clerestory windows introduces natural light, brightening the central corridor and diffusing daylight throughout the home, achieving a light and airy atmosphere.