By Fabric Architecture
The LightHouse at Norah Head captures the essence of Australian Coastal living within its very fabric. The project adopted a truly collaborative approach between the Architect, Client and Builder enabling an enhanced design dialogue throughout the construction process. The project is the result of what happens when the Architect, Client and Builder come together and feed off each other's ideas.
The LightHouse, as its namesake suggests, stands as a bright and inviting beacon, a celebration of modern family living. It's one of those homes that welcome you with open arms. Warmth and texture are at the heart of the design and reflected in the exterior material palette. When you walk in the front door, you instantly feel grounded as high volumes are balanced with fine grain texture and lots of natural light. The Stone and masonry blade walls that frame the entry, fold inward to enhance the sense of indoor-outdoor living.
Like a big warm hug, the interiors use high-quality natural materials to curate a sense of familiarity and comfort. Through clever planning, pockets of intimate space are created which provide the occupants with sanctuary and respite, whilst enhancing the connection to the landscape. Featuring a number of unique joinery pieces and a natural colour palette, the finishes reflect the nearby Australian bushland of Wyrrabalong National Park to the West and LightHouse Beach to the East. Fabric Architecture Studio, Loughlin Furniture and Hudson Lane Projects have teamed up and the result is a spectacular, light-filled, Australian coastal home. Homeowners and directors at Loughlin Furniture, Rob and Jess are thrilled with the outcome of the project, and with the opportunity to showcase Loughlin’s beautifully crafted joinery.
Builder: Hudson Lane
Joinery: Loughlin Furniture
Photographer: Ben Cole
Video: Blake Wilton
Fabric Architecture is a contemporary design studio located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. We focus on Architecture and design - from buildings to public space, to small scale bespoke furniture design.
Fabric was founded on the belief that Architecture, no matter how large or small, is not a matter of style or trend but an ability to create social interaction and help shape an individuals experience in this world, both in the larger context right down to one’s tactile experience in their immediate surrounding environment. It is throughout this experience that perceptions are altered, building types are re-imagined and new ways of experiencing architecture realised.
We work inclusively with our clients: to work up an open brief, to imagine all possibilities, to open dialogue for collaborative problem solving and to discover methods for providing intentioned yet specific design solutions to real needs. We feel the most successful projects have both an openness and specificity, so that change may occur but the fundamental ideas remain intact. We seek to create buildings that make intuitive sense at every scale, from the holistic notions of site planning, down to the tangible experience of the touch of a material.
Our approach to Architecture in a constantly changing digital age is all inclusive; with social, practical, economical and environmental issues integrated within the design process. We consider Architecture to be a process of dialogue and we involve selected experts and consultants, across multiple disciplines, in every stage of the design process.