A contemporary home can be warm, inviting and very liveable, as this amazing house proves.
“It was our intention to get people to think outside the square, so to speak. While many people find contemporary homes ‘cold’, we have combined colour, texture and scale to ensure that does not happen,” said Michael Sasso, who designed this house for Aspect.
“Our designs concentrate on ‘liveability’ while making a statement about lifestyle.” The residence has all the essentials for a stylish house — a home theatre, swimming pool and purpose-built barbecue area, as well as an open-plan family/meals/kitchen room, a studio, three bedrooms, a guest bedroom with ensuite and a separate laundry. By using an eclectic mix of construction methods, materials, colours, textures and scale, the traditional methods of construction, planning and way of life have been questioned. “It is very much an open-plan house, with little barrier between inside and out,” said Michael. “The external areas are part of extending the internal spaces in all aspects of living” — allowing inhabitants to experience the evolution of day and night, indoor and outdoor.
When designing a contemporary home, Michael claims we must “protect our diminishing natural resources” and, staying true to this, he has incorporated incredible efficiency with extensive overhangs, heat-absorbing flooring, cooling water surfaces and cross-ventilation. The house also contains energy-efficient glass and retractable shading systems. The home has been built around a steel structure, which was vital to get the look the Sassos wanted; this inspired thought and reassessment of traditional suburban design. Michael’s wife and business partner, Penny, also played a role in the home — she was involved with the interiors. “The style is modern contemporary, which shows how lightweight-type construction and traditional building methods can be integrated to form something unique,” said Michael. “The use of a steel structure to minimise the external visual aspect of structure and bulk is the key to this design; built any other way, the same building would look and feel so different.” Finishes include a freestanding Bette bath and Villeroy & Boch bathroom fixtures, CaesarStone benchtops in the kitchen, along with drawers by Blum and appliances by Ilve and Miele.
The process was managed by Aspect Design and Construction, which specialises in prestige residential buildings as an all-inclusive service providing design for the building, interiors, landscaping, and also the construction process with a network of some of Sydney’s best builders. The company has won more than 30 awards since it began in 1982, including the Home of the Year from the Housing Industry Association, as well as many for workmanship and interior design. Aspect can design houses to be built in any location, and also builds and project-manages for the greater Sydney area.
