Sliding Doors

Set within an existing Californian bungalow in Canada Bay, Sliding Doors is a playful rear addition by CplusC Architects + Builders that gives a growing young family more functional living space and draws in natural daylight. The owners asked CplusC to extend their home to suit a changing household, and the rear of the site lent itself to new living areas with a stronger connection to the back yard, useful both for keeping an eye on small children and for entertaining.

Two oversized sliding doors define the rear facade and give the new living spaces real flexibility. In winter they can close the living room off while still letting light filter through; in warmer months they slide back so the room opens straight onto the yard. The doors combine opaque, clear and frosted glass louvres, letting the family fine-tune air, light and privacy. A herb garden runs across the wall of the external courtyard, giving the children a hands-on link to growing and preparing food, and it reappears as a glimpse in the kitchen's mirrored splashback.

The new work leans on materials common to local construction, including timber, recycled brick, glass and concrete, used in generous proportions that lend the bungalow a sense of scale it would not historically have had. Timber-lined high ceilings keep the larger rooms warm and inviting, while a large skylight above the kitchen brings task lighting down onto the exposed recycled brick.

Architect: CplusC Architects + Builders. Photography: Murray Fredericks and Michael Lassman.