Marrying much-loved Beachcomber sensibilities with a minimalist style has resulted in a functional home encapsulating the needs of a growing family.
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For Rosa Douramanis, architect and designer at Biotope, The White Lookout project presented the chance to put her own spin on the classic Aussie design while maintaining the integrity of the surrounding Tasmanian landscape.
As an alterations and additions project for a professional couple and their growing family, the brief required a build which catered for the potential of future modifications - like a verandah and teen retreat - without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.
Rosa said the resulting design was inspired by the iconic Beachcomber and the spectacular location with impressive views of the Derwent River.
"The house itself was a minimalistic and simple building, so the ultimate inspiration came from the idea of using screening to create depth to conceal and to maintain some privacy," Rosa said.
"The new bedroom, ensuite, garage and stair are infused with 1960's and Beachcomber sensibilities, while a parapet roof works to maximise views and minimise the height from the neighbouring properties."
Post-war Australian architecture in the 1960s was dominated by the Beachcomber, an affordable, open plan family home.
Already the "wild child" of the bunch, Beachcomber's angular lines, iconic use of floor-to-ceiling glass and lightweight materials were a complete turn away from the conventional housing which had come before.
Originally designed by Lend Lease chief architect Nino Sydney, the Beachcomber was an affordable project home with Bauhaus attitude.
In Tasmania, however, it was a slightly different story.
Although the houses were influenced by the Beachcomber style, they were made with materials more suited to the climate, so more masonry was used in comparison to mainland builds.
For The White Lookout, the existing 1960's home is considerably set back from the front boundary, resulting in a largely unusable and exposed front yard.
"For the additions, our material palette inspiration came from the painted masonry, timber cladding and concrete stairs of the original house," Rosa said.
"To remedy this, we designed the extension to the front yard using a combination of timber cladding and slatted screening, also adopting slatted fencing around the much-needed additional play and entertaining area for the family."
The slatted screen to the new extension has two purposes: it screens the stairs and provides shade from the summer sun to the newly added bedroom, which opens out to eastern water views and to the north for solar gain.
Her favourite part: you feel like you're floating on the water from the main bedroom.
