Designed by Brently Reid, EcoSphere Design

From the designer:

This renovation in the Byron Shire, NSW, has focused on creating a strong connection between the indoors and outdoors.

The project involved a new addition to an existing two-storey home, with a focus on passive solar design and multiple direct connections to the natural environment.

The wider design brief included adding a new kitchen, living, and dining area, along with a second bathroom, a swimming pool, and an all-important undercover outdoor living space.

Essentially, the owners wanted a home that was well-oriented, inspired by mid-century modern design, and suitable for cooking, entertaining, and gardening.

The site presented challenges, including a sloping block, bushfire risk, and no town water.

Brently Reid’s design solution involved extending the house to the west and rotating the new addition by 20 degrees to achieve a better north-northeast orientation.

This strategic placement was key to the home’s passive solar design, which uses an earth-coupled burnished concrete slab for thermal mass, shaded openings, and single-room depth to regulate temperature and promote natural ventilation.

A key design feature is the emphasis on connecting with nature.

The 51m² undercover entertaining area flows directly from the kitchen and living room to the pool, creating a central space for gatherings.

A second outdoor living area on the west side, with a large roof, provides an all-weather space and protects the home’s western façade.

The addition includes an outdoor bathroom with an outdoor shower.

The open-plan layout, inspired by mid-century modernism, uses sliding doors that meet at a post-free corner to create a seamless transition between inside and out.

A structural steel post is used as a feature, inset into the building’s footprint.

The new addition provides a 76m² internal open-plan area with distinct zones for different functions.

The result is a home that maximises indoor-outdoor living, with a design that is both functional and aesthetically integrated with its subtropical bush setting.