Timber sunscreens and travertine stone shape a restful backdrop to this green spectacle, while an assortment of textures underfoot—stone, pebblewash and grass—slows the pace and brings awareness to pathways as one moves between the indoor areas to the outdoor spaces. Meanwhile, the street-fronting volumes of the house are understated and precise; a timber-trellised canopy on the first storey and simple travertine frames infilled with wide timber brise soleil.

“The [concept] and form, with regard to the relationship to the street view, is one of the primary planning considerations. Situated in a cul-de-sac, the house enjoys a 31m-wide frontage. The visual approach towards the house is controlled from left to right with a long, horizontal plane stretching across the entire carport to accentuate the linear frontage, and the second-storey block placed at the far end to anchor the edge of the property,” describes Robin Tan, founder of Wallflower Architecture + Design. 

Within the house, the vertical transitions are carefully orchestrated to bring about an awareness of the surroundings as one moves from one level to the next.

“The owner’s two dogs tend to leave unsightly scratch marks on the timber treads in their previous house so for practicality, they suggested having stone treads here. Thus, for the external staircase, we layered granite on steel, and for the internal staircase, travertine is coupled with timber soffits for a softer aesthetic,” Tan elaborates on the materiality. 

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Open risers for both staircases enhance visual transparency and give a sense of lightness in spite of the robust materials. The stairwell is also designed as a future art gallery. “We detailed a groove for track lights to be integrated into the soffit of the staircase stringer so that that paintings can be well illuminated anywhere they are placed along the staircase,” Tan highlights. 

Many other aspects of the house’s design harkens back to the idea of forgetting time. This includes the powder room, where a layering of materials brings about a ritualistic approach. Here, the material mix features rough-textured stone, a timber portal, and marble with sinewy veins.

“We projected a ‘wall frame’ to accentuate the suspended vanity counter. To complement the forest theme, we selected a tap in the shape of a water droplet hanging from a stem and a lily-pod wash basin from the Gessi Goccia series,” Tan shares. Subtle touches such as this bring about a cohesive and well-thought-out dwelling, as well as attract one to linger in spaces in the forgetting of time.