How do you design a home for several generations without sacrificing privacy or connection to the landscape?

The Brief

The home sits on an elevated, sloping site overlooking the surrounding treetops and hills. The landscape offered remarkable opportunities, but it also demanded a thoughtful response to planning, structure and circulation.

The brief was shaped by two equally important priorities. The home needed generous communal spaces where the entire family could gather with ease, while also providing places of retreat that felt separate, peaceful and deeply connected to nature.

The Trade-Off

A highly connected home can easily become a home without privacy. Equally, creating distinct zones can leave a large home feeling disconnected, with family members separated rather than brought together.

The challenge was not simply to provide enough bedrooms or living areas. It was to create a home that allowed every family member to choose how they wanted to experience it at any given moment.

Our Response

The solution became a three-wing arrangement, with each wing serving a distinct purpose while remaining connected through a shared arrival space at the heart of the home.

One wing houses the primary suite, creating a private retreat for the couple. Another contains the communal living spaces where the family naturally comes together. The third accommodates the secondary bedrooms and a dedicated living area, giving younger generations their own space without disconnecting them from the rest of the home.

The entry sits below the main level of the home, drawing visitors upward through an expansive central void framed by floor-to-ceiling glazing. As they rise into the house, natural light and views of the surrounding landscape open around them, making the arrival feel both connected and considered. 

From the central arrival space, circulation unfolds naturally. Shared living areas sit within easy reach, while each private wing offers a quieter destination. The planning creates a home where gathering and retreat are equally intuitive, allowing both to coexist without compromise. .

The sloping site also became part of the solution rather than a constraint. The elevated land allowed the primary suite to cantilever above the driveway and garage, creating a peaceful retreat with views across the treetops and surrounding hills. It remains connected to the rest of the home while offering the privacy, quiet and outlook the couple wanted.

What we chose not to do

A more conventional response would have been a long linear plan, with the communal living spaces positioned in the centre and the primary suite and secondary bedrooms placed at opposite ends.

While this approach would have separated the accommodation, it lacked the sense of connection the clients were seeking. Family members would have been physically distant from one another, while the private spaces still felt visually and emotionally tied to the activity of the main living areas.

Instead of relying on distance alone, the three-wing arrangement creates separation through planning, orientation and movement, allowing privacy and connection to exist together.

The Outcome

Today, the home gives every generation the freedom to experience it differently.

Large family gatherings naturally gravitate towards the communal spaces, where the connection between indoors and the surrounding landscape creates an atmosphere that feels open, relaxed and welcoming. When quiet is needed, each private wing offers a genuine place of retreat without feeling isolated from the rest of the home.

The project reinforces a principle that continues to guide our work. Designing for family life is rarely about providing more space. It is about understanding how people want to come together, when they need time apart, and creating a home that supports both with equal care. When those decisions are made early, the home feels considered not just on day one, but for decades to come.