HOUSE SAK
HOUSE SAK
Creating a contemporary living environment in an ageing house
Year → 2014
Status → Completed
Team → de baes architects
Area →
This house, which the client inherited from his parents, had not changed in 30 years. The client asked us to reimagine the home to suit his lifestyle and tastes. Our goals were to bring openness to the previously subdivided house while maintaining differentiated living spaces and foster a greater connection with the surrounding leafy landscape.
Creating open, flexible spaces
We removed most of the interior partitions, creating clear sightlines between the office, living room and kitchen and opening up views of the gardens beyond. Translucent curved curtains allow the client to flexibly subdivide his space to create privacy when needed without sacrificing natural light.
Defining zones in the open plan
To distinguish between zones on the open plan, we designed a vertical multi-use furniture pieces that appear carved from a single piece of wood. On the living room side, the furniture piece contains a fireplace. Facing the office, it houses the library. In the kitchen, it offers built-in cabinetry and storage.
Connections with the landscape
The design emphasizes a full-height glass sliding door that extends the living area into the rear yard, bringing the landscape into the interior experience of the home. A curving stone terrace wraps around the house, expanding into a rear-yard patio accessed through the extension. Conceived as a splash of stone, it winds around the house, entangling it with nature. When the sliding door is open, the living area flows onto the patio, blurring the distinction between indoors and out.
