IN REVIEW: ON LOCATION 24 /JENKIN STREET BY EHDO AND SUPER NATURAL
It was a late-autumn morning when Lucy and Kurt welcomed us into their South Fremantle home for On Location 24. What unfolded was a delightful conversation with architect Dave Delahunty from Ehdo Architecture and landscape architect Daniel Jan Martin from Super Natural – a how-to on designing a home perfectly in sync with people and place.
Before embarking on the design, Dave spent time with Lucy, Kurt and their two dogs to understand their lifestyle and daily rhythms. The completed home quietly enhances everyday living for the sociable and community-minded couple and their four-legged friends.
Central to this is a native front garden that blurs the boundary between private and street life. Here, passersby pause for a chat over the low front fence, set back from the footpath to make space for plants that generously soften the streetscape.
Modest in scale, the coastal house responds to its location through a relaxed palette of simple materials, natural tones, and finishes chosen to weather, lending the house the feeling of having been there longer than its two years. House and garden integrate seamlessly thanks to Super Natural’s involvement from day one.
We asked the homeowners and designers to share their favourite part of the project.
Lucy loves the reading nook (especially when bathed in winter sun) and the large bedroom window with its view to trees, sky and the moon.
Kurt loves the outdoor bathroom. Since moving in, he’s never once used the ensuite!
Dave loves the scale of the house, set back from the street and surrounded by landscaping that will eventually envelope it. Every room has a green outlook.
Daniel loves the biodiversity of the many native plant varieties on site and the permeable limestone gravel. In contrast to hard paving, the gravel absorbs precious rainwater back into the ground, where concealed, slotted drains channel it to thirsty plants.
Additional design features contribute to the home’s year-round comfort, sensory appeal and minimal upkeep.
- The raised, covered deck at the front creates an outdoor room with an open connection to the street and wider community.
- High louvres at the rear flood the hallway with light and funnel the cooling sea breeze through the house.
- The termite-resistant cypress cladding on the façade requires no maintenance.
- Brick walls add interest and texture to the interiors.
- Subtle lighting is set into the plywood lining above the living room and hallway.
- Underfloor heating in the concrete floor gently warms the whole house on winter days.
All involved noted the effortless collaboration between owners, designers and the builder throughout. To ensure the vision and budget would remain aligned, James from builder Interstruct met with the design team and clients several times to review the project before construction began. From here, a negotiated contract delivered an outcome where everyone was happy. Even the dogs – the distance between the front fence posts was determined by the size of their heads!
A big thank you to Lucy and Kurt for allowing almost a hundred people into their home, and to Dave and Daniel for sharing their time and expertise with our appreciative audience. Now – how to create an outdoor bathroom at my place?
Timeframe: 2 years
House size : 130 square metres
Open space: 62%
Architect: Ehdo Architecture
Landscape: Super Natural
Builder: Interstruct
Engineer: Scott Smalley Partnership
Pippa Hurst
