When a family begins to outgrow a much-loved home in an ideal location, they often have to make a choice: move or remodel? For the owners of this Mt Eden home, the solution was a little more fun: a multifunctional pool pavilion.
With four children and their compact living spaces bursting at the seams, the owners of this home approached Scarlet Architects to reinvigorate an earlier design scheme, which encompassed a pool and pool house as well as some renovations in the main home.
In creating their solution, Scarlet Architects worked with the quirks and character of the midcentury home, which is complete with timber-lined walls and a prominent double-height, yellow-brick chimney, as well as the essence of the original concept design by Guy Tarrant, explains designer Lindley Naismith.
“We worked with the materiality of the existing house and its original materials, which is a lot of timber joinery, natural in the interior, and painted on the exterior. So, very much the palette of the ’80s for architects working in a particular genre, which was influenced by California design,” she says. “The pool was positioned to relate to the house, both in terms of the location and the aesthetic aspects of it, like the brick wall and the overall shape of the structure, which is an open pavilion with a little box end to house utilities and a floating roof over top.”
The roofline of the pavilion and its clerestory windows clearly reflect this era, with an angular edge jutting upwards and warm timber on the soffits echoing the rimu seen in the main house. It extends beyond the boundaries of the pool deck towards the house, creating shelter and allowing for the pavilion to be used in any weather. Terrazzo, a waterproof and sleek solution, was chosen for the flooring. When the pavilion doors are open, it’s possible to jump straight into the pool — which, unsurprisingly, is a hit feature with the younger members of the family.
Tasked with choosing furnishings for the pool pavilion, interior designer Erina Emery of Erina Emery Design says flexibility was key.
“Even though it’s completely covered, we’ve used outdoor furniture in the pavilion, so the kids can come in wet and lounge around without a problem. However, these furnishings are chosen for their lightweight nature as well as their refined look, so in the evening the space can become a media room, with the big TV in there lending itself to movie nights, or, equally, they can move the furniture around and throw a cocktail party between there and the outdoor dining zone. There’s really a lot of versatility in how they can use the space.”
While the extension was being planned, the house was also given a makeover, with the living room opened up to the outdoors through large sliding doors and furnishing revamped to add cohesive colour. Prominent pops of bold hues are provided by bright blue Simon James dining chairs and a warm mustard velvet couch, which aligns
with the palette of the brick fireplace.
With the family able to move between this external space and the main home with ease, the result feels like an at-home holiday escape.
Words: Camille Khouri & Federico Monsalve
Images: Matt Klitscher
