Built for beauty

When it came to adding a building in her Upper North Shore backyard, getting the outside right was always the first and most important step for Brooke.

The rest would follow in good time.

“I went with a Melwood because of the flexibility to move the door and window configuration around our tree,” she tells us, a well-established crepe myrtle taking pride of place at the front of the building.

Positioned at the end of a glistening pool, on the edge of a manicured lawn, in the garden of a beautiful contemporary family home, it was also essential that the new addition was architecturally sympathetic. It absolutely achieved that.

Magnificently mirrored

Brooke upgraded the cladding of her Melwood Mod 20 to pre-primed weatherboard. This was later painted to match the exterior colour of the house, accenting it with the same crisp white trim of the window and door frames. By adding two sets of timber framed glass double doors with fixed sidelight windows, the rear elevation of the home has been mirrored. The effect is a seamless integration between the two structures, which successfully display the same aesthetics.

The Mod’s signature highlight windows were also an important design drawcard, with the building’s orientation positioned to capture light from the north. And that beautiful tree we mentioned earlier? Beautifully framed from within, without blocking the view, thanks to considered placement of the windows and doors and the flexibility to do so that comes with a Greenspan building.

A space in waiting

For now, Brooke’s Mod is quietly doing useful work as storage – some of the most stylish we’ve seen! But she has bigger and better plans, with the poolside positioning perfect for the building to be transformed into a pool room retreat. And that’s exactly what she has in mind. Doubling as a home office and opening onto the lawn at the end of the pool, it’s ideally positioned for relaxing between dips and focusing on work.

It’s a dual-purpose brief this Mod was made for. At approximately 20m², the proportions are generous and with the right orientation and an almost all-glass frontage, it’s flooded with light. The glass has been tinted, allowing privacy from outside while softening the sun’s strength, all without compromising the quality of light, views or visibility.

The best is yet to come

Just as every exterior detail was carefully considered, thoughtfully tailored, and exceptionally executed, so will the interior as the Mod’s full potential unfolds over time. As a blank canvas, Brooke also has the freedom to configure the layout and complete the fitout and finish in a way that perfectly suits her needs. It’s the ultimate in flexibility, the ultimate in versatility and the ultimate in possibilities.

For now, it’s simple storage, and the next chapter remains pending. Given how considered every exterior decision has been, the finished interior is sure to be worth the wait. This is a building that was always going to be done properly, from the outside in.

---

Brooke’s Melwood Mod 20 measures 3.2m x 6.3m.

It features an upgrade to pre-primed weatherboard cladding, timber-framed full glass doors and sidelights, and aluminium windows in “White”. Brooke further personalised her design with Colorbond® roofing in “Surfmist”. 

All measurements are approximate.

---