00:01Beach Chalet employs a full bag of architectural tricks to conceal and
00:06reveal, hide and display. My primary influences are Japanese and
00:11Scandinavian architecture and interiors and also the super efficient use of
00:16interiors within yachts and caravans and the inbuilt joinery that goes into those.
00:23My name is Matt Reynolds, I'm an architect and I make a lot of sawdust. I'm
00:27also the founder of Matter Studio and I focus on architecture, interiors and
00:33furniture as well as art. And this is my apartment Beach Chalet.
00:44Beach Chalet is located just up the hill from Bronte Beach and is on Gadigal land
00:49of the Eora Nation. The building was built in the 1970s and comprises 16 units, four
00:56studios and 12 two-bedroom apartments.
01:02I built a shed down in my carport prior to starting this renovation so that I then
01:07had an area in which to build everything myself. I learnt all of my carpentry skills
01:12from my dad and then employed those with my architectural background to create Beach Chalet.
01:18The apartment was quite run down with a tiny hallway leading to a dining living area with
01:25a small kitchen beside the hallway. There were also two bedrooms and a rather tired bathroom,
01:31all of which were lacking storage and no laundry so I always had to do my washing downstairs in
01:37the communal laundry. I changed the floor plan by demolishing the wall, separating the kitchen from
01:44the entry and removed the shower bath to make room for an internal laundry. The remaining spaces were
01:52adapted through the use of multifunctional joinery elements.
01:58As you enter the apartment, the front door houses a small art gallery.
02:05In lieu of the previously confining entry hallway, I introduced a Genkan or a Japanese space in which
02:11people enter the unit, sit down and remove their shoes. The seat also folds down revealing long-term storage.
02:22The open plan living dining space is a multifunctional space. It also features plenty of display areas,
02:29including a floating bookshelf. It wraps around all of the walls in the living room,
02:34as well as every other room in the apartment and acts as a device to bring the whole apartment together.
02:41Both elements of the two-piece couch are mobile and can be reconfigured to become a queen-sized bed or
02:49two single beds for guests.
02:53They can also turn around to become a bench seat for the dining table when I have eight people over
02:58for dinner.
03:02The pegboard wall is a sliding panel that opens to reveal the TV, as well as more display shelves,
03:08and slides to the end of the apartment.
03:13The home gymnasium is concealed behind a curtain.
03:19The dining table has an end dedicated to working from home with plenty of power and USB outlets.
03:28I designed and built the suspended brass and tassie oak light fitting,
03:32and it can be dimmed and changed with colours to suit my mood.
03:38The cook's kitchen has plenty of preparation space with full-size appliances and integrated dishwasher.
03:46The cupboards above the breakfast bench are finished in a gloss black perspex to match the drawers and doors below
03:53the bench.
03:54The overhead cupboards on the window side are finished with clear perspex to allow the light to shine through from
04:01the window and through the glassware.
04:04And I've maximised storage everywhere I can find it.
04:10Beach Chalet has two bedrooms, the larger of which serving as the main bedroom.
04:15The raised platform has hidden long-term storage, as well as easily accessible drawers.
04:22A wall of joinery provides a wardrobe, drawers and cupboard space for clothing.
04:28The mirrors on the wardrobe and at each end of the bedroom bounce light around the room and create a
04:33sense of more space.
04:36There's some hinged panels that block out light from a window above the bed.
04:41The pegboard wall allows plenty of flexibility on how to arrange artworks.
04:47The second bedroom doubles as a guest bedroom as well as a storage room for all my sports equipment.
04:54There's a built-in desk that folds down to allow the two single sofa beds to pull out when guests
05:01turn up.
05:03Like the main bedroom, it's also on a raised platform with skinny drawers that recede back underneath the platform.
05:13The bathroom was reconfigured by removing a step-in bath shower and replacing it with a full-size shower,
05:20which allowed me the room to introduce an internal laundry with a separate dryer and washer.
05:27The ceiling's made of western red cedar to evoke the sense of being in a sauna when the steam hits
05:34it.
05:34A wall of mirrors bounce light around the bathroom as well.
05:40The balcony faces east towards the ocean views with a small garden of succulents and palms.
05:48I've also recently introduced a vertical herb garden to help feed myself and my guests.
05:57In response to the need to reduce the size of Australian homes, Beach Chalet is an example of smaller, smarter
06:04design.
06:05We need to reduce the amount of impact on landfill, on green open spaces with new development in Australia,
06:13and if we can repurpose existing apartment stock, then that's a better use of our built environment.
06:25Could piest or pressing this platform for ribbons?
06:30It's a potential wallet for rajas.
Comments