It’s a light-filled energy efficient home, superbly designed by Herbert & Howes, that will serve its owners well into the future. While sitting more than comfortably within its heritage context in Deepdene, Sunset House also presents a thoroughly modern and welcome presence on its generous corner block.
The well-considered material palette is simple, yet stunning. Sunset House presents a restrained grey palette of handcrafted Petersen D91 bricks, creating a stunning display of feature brickwork, along with black steel, providing a crisp and contrasting accent, all offset by a simple grey render. And, in what is becoming somewhat of a signature of Herbert & Howes designs–the use of landscapes within the architecture–the chosen plantings for Sunset House provide a vibrant contrast to this palette, with spectacularly changing results across seasons.
Matt Herbert, owner, Herbert & Howes, says, “Our landscapes are integral to our architecture, and we love the way the vegetation contrasts against a grey colour palette, with the black trim providing the accent.”
The most stunning feature of this four bedroom home is its three generous gables; a welcome addition to streetscape, warmly greeting passers-by and celebrating the beauty of the handcrafted Petersen D91 bricks.
“There is nothing quite like the organic nature of Petersen bricks. We have used them a number of times before and love their irregular size. The uneven surfaces create a tactile surface that is unmatched,” comments Matt.
Natural light, as well as internal and external entertaining areas were a key requirement of the design; the north facing garden enabling Matt to easily tick both of these boxes. Not only is Sunset House now fully equipped with a pool that’s north facing, but Matt’s design has ensured that it’s visible from almost every room in the home, while still remaining private from the outside world.
Best of all, with the owners moving in to their new home just prior to Christmas last year, Sunset House has provided a welcome and comfortable sanctuary for the family during this year’s Covid-19 lockdown. As they say, timing is everything. And so is exceptional design.
Architect: Herbert & Howes
Product: Petersen D91 bricks
Builder: Constructing Spaces
Landscaping: Maroondah Landscapes
Photography: Justin Alexander