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| Lichtman House |
| An old weatherboard farmhouse is transformed to to take advantage of spectacular views. |
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Mitch Lichtman and Nadia Cohen are the architects of this contemporary shed-style home — an old weatherboard farmhouse, transformed to take advantage of the phenomenal views of the Blue Mountains.
Once traditionalists, the owners Mr & Mrs West, wanted something a little different for their property in the Megalong Valley. The property is a hazelnut farm and although the Wests wanted their new farmhouse to be contemporary it had to be fairly relaxed and tough enough to take a beating.
There were no strict guidelines for the architects except that the living area was to be open for cooking and entertaining, the four metre long table (resurrected from the original farmhouse) was to be a major part of the design and full advantage was to be taken of the panoramic mountain views.
Litchman described the original house as a project home dating back around forty years. The orientation was incorrect; it was facing directly west which meant the place became a furnace in the afternoon sun. To correct this, the house was re-built to face north which means the sun can be controlled with large overhangs angled to keep shade from the summer sun and allow winter sun in. Large sliding doors and louvered high level windows were added to create natural breezeways. The house has been designed so that it doesn't need heating or cooling.
The new house was built in the same proportions as the original. To maitain the farmhouse feel, the home was clad in corrugated iron and timber was used for window frames and verandahs.
Lichtman says this house was a dream commission. Below are the features of the home that he describes as outstanding:
1 'The Pier', a verandah that extends beyond the length of the home, forming a platform stretching out to the view. A spa is fitted into the end of the deck.
2 The kitchen was designed for owners who "wanted a kitchen but didn't want a kitchen" — cupboards, fridge panels and tiles were coloured the same as the walls so that the room seems to disappear into the rest of the house.
3 Because the magnificent view is all around the house, small windows were used to frame it rather than using large expanses of glass. It gives the impression of picture frames hanging on the wall. |
More Info
Folk Lichtman & Associates (architects)
171 Phillip Street
Waterloo NSW 2017
Ph: (02) 9310 4533
Fax: (02) 9310 4203
E-mail: folklich@talent.com.au
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