The central design ‘idea’ was to bring house and pool together as one within a garden setting. Whether it is the season for swimming or not, the water element offers a year round feature to the property.

We set about wrapping the swimming pool around the family living space, to give the illusion of the building thrusting out over the water, like a pontoon adrift. This experience is further heightened at night, with accent pool lights sending ripples and ribbons of dancing light across the face of the walls above.

The resulting fragmentation of the building form along its length, helps fracture visual bulk, allowing the building to rest more comfortably within the garden.

At ground level, the living zones have been broken in two, the quieter retreat spaces to the front and more active living zones to the rear. With the pool returning back on itself around the family living room, both quiet and active zones enjoy garden and pool connections.

Bedrooms are placed at the first floor level. Suspended metal screens have been strategically placed, well out from the window faces, to permit views from them down into garden courts and pool, screening views into neighbouring gardens and offering reciprocal privacy.

This is very much a home designed with family in mind. It is functional and robust yet open, relaxed and welcoming. Water brings an exciting element to the mix which makes it all just seem to gel.