Brighton East

Across approximately 59 squares and three considered levels, spaces shift naturally between gathering, independence and quiet, giving every part of family life a place of its own.

Curves soften the home's strong material expression, while natural light moves through open living spaces, floor to ceiling glazing and skylights. A concrete-rendered wall forms the spine of the home, carrying the exterior language inside and creating a sense of continuity from the street through to the interior.

The clients came to Latitude 37 with a clear vision: a timeless family home that felt light and bright, warm rather than austere, and made for entertaining. With teenagers at home, they also wanted spaces that could support independence and time with friends without disconnecting the family from one another.

This led to a deliberate three-level arrangement. The basement provides a breakout destination for the teenagers, the ground floor becomes the social heart of the home, and the first floor creates a more private family retreat for bedrooms. Each level responds to a different rhythm of daily life while remaining part of one cohesive home.

Set on a relatively straightforward, flat Bayside block, the site itself presented few significant constraints. Instead, the design challenge came from accommodating a substantial three-level home, basement and pool while maintaining the qualities at the centre of the brief: privacy, natural light, warmth and connection.

The home’s orientation was considered in relation to how the family would use each space throughout the day. The east-facing street side accommodates the main bedroom upstairs as part of the family’s private retreat, while the ground-floor living and entertaining spaces are drawn towards the west-facing rear.

Here, the kitchen and main living areas connect directly with the alfresco, creating a natural progression from inside to outdoor entertaining and the pool beyond. The alfresco provides shelter between the home and the backyard, while the pool is positioned further into the western aspect to enjoy the afternoon sun, aligning the rear of the home with the family’s love of entertaining.

From the outset, the clients wanted the home to have a strong street presence, with curves becoming a defining part of its design language. That geometry continues inside through arched forms and softer transitions, creating consistency between exterior and interior rather than treating them as separate ideas.

Natural light is equally important to the experience of the home. Open-plan spaces are balanced by more intimate moments, while a circular skylight over the stairwell draws light through the centre of the plan. The material palette creates another layer of contrast: concrete render and polished concrete floors bring strength and permanence, tempered by warm coastal interiors that keep the home relaxed and welcoming.

The design developed collaboratively, beginning with the initial brief and progressing through review, feedback and further design development. Rather than asking the clients to imagine the outcome from drawings alone, Latitude 37's 3D walkthrough allowed them to experience the spaces before construction, including how natural light would enter the home at different times of day.

That process gave the family confidence that the design was moving towards the home they had imagined. With design, interiors and construction brought together within Latitude 37, their original priorities could remain connected throughout the journey: a home filled with light, made for entertaining and shaped around the way their family lives.