Alexander & CO. redesigned the residence by thoughtfully responding to the Pacific House's surroundings, connecting the residence's original forms and breathing new life into it. Through active textures and playful forms, the space is anchored and enriched for its everyday experience.
Originally built in the 1990s, the mostly masonry construction of the home remained in place, yet an entirely new planning overlay was needed to embed structure and flow throughout. Retaining core elements, both the exterior and interior were reworked to add to the story of its owners and to better connect to the narrative of its surrounds, further opening and emphasising a connected life. Through a combination of interventions and reworking the existing, Alexander &CO. strikes a balance between contemporary and existing, hard and soft, and structured and the unexpected.
An expressive use of stone combines with warm timber elements, all uniting through a carefully crafted hand, with every tactile and moment of engagement considered.Although oriented toward the ocean, the home felt inwardly focused. In correcting the overall orientation, an overarching approach sees the newly sculpted home have two sides – one that anchors the form to the site where the kitchen and outdoor areas sit protected from the elements and then one that opens generously to the view.
By identifying a duality, the home emerges as a series of balanced elements. In family life, there is a need to both come together and be independent and retreat, and the approach further cements this in both gest and a planning approach.While some elements are intended to age and patina over time, particular in the proximity to the ocean, others are robust and unwavering, as the backbone of the home. The layering of furniture, artwork, lighting and collected treasures then soften the otherwise hard shell, inserting moments of past nostalgia and readying for the next chapters.
- Interiors: Alexander&CO
- Photos: Anson Smart
- Words: Sophie Lewis