Aptly named, the Sunset House is a modern take on Queensland living. This is a home where you could imagine yourself relaxing on the alfresco, watching the kids play in the vast yard as the daylight behind them slinks away for the night.

The home houses a family of five while offering all the much-loved features of an entertainer’s abode including a pool, a fireplace inside and a fire pit on the lawn. It even has that increasingly popular feature among Australian backyards: an outdoor kitchen.

While the evolution of the traditional alfresco has seen outdoor kitchens of all shapes and sizes, Sunset House opts for a sleek design: generous cabinetry and bench space, a built-in barbeque, a fridge, and a wide open entertaining space.

Above this space is a slanted roofline and glass louvre windows, letting air and sun through as needed and opening up the bushland views from afar.

You wouldn’t know it at a glance, but Sunset House sits on the bones of what was once a ’70s quasi farmhouse – complete with pine skirting boards and cork flooring.

Mosaic Property Group believes the most sustainable move is to not move at all, using much of the existing structure throughout the renovation.

According to managing director Brook Monahan the core idea for this project was simple: ‘house a family of five and, through the missing connections and experiences of the site, bring a sense of joy and ease of living to the home – within the envelope of the existing structure’. 

He says the original home, set on a slightly sloping and moderately wooded property, was like many of its era in that it addressed only the basic considerations of internal planning and external form.

‘Existing rooms were used where possible; the key move was to open the centre of the building from front to back, creating the vital connection to site, outlook and sun,’ Brook says.

‘The central space divides the home with a parent wing at one end and a kids’ space at the other.’

Maximising the retreat-like atmosphere at the parent’s end of the home, the master ensuite was adapted to become a bathhouse with a walk-in shower, free-standing bath and natural light with a panoramic view, all thanks to clever design and privacy louvres.

The bathhouse is bold and striking with a concrete finish encompassing both the floor and the walls, as well as the dividing shower ‘screen’, but it’s a natural fit within the home. The look is complemented by concrete flooring in the living and alfresco areas.

Other interesting features can be found throughout the home, but it takes a close eye to spot them all – or just an upward tilt of the chin: Velux skylights, which sit atop Brook’s favourite feature and biggest challenge, a routed timber ceiling, bring an abundance of natural light to the family hub in a way that’s unobtrusive and visually fascinating.

‘Extensive time was taken in ensuring this hit the mark for the client,’ Brook says of the warm timber highlight feature. 

One of the few moves made from the original layout was the fireplace which was updated and brought into a more central location of the home.

‘The original fireplace was tucked in a corner, so it wasn’t suitable when the main living area was opened up,’ Brook says.

The new fireplace was designed to be central to the area, giving warmth to the home from the family hub outwards and creating an ambient space for family and guests to spend time during the cooler months.

This impressive amalgamation of high-quality features saw Sunset House take home five HIA awards at the 2017 HIA+DIA Brisbane Kitchen & Bathroom and Interior Design Awards, including Outdoor Kitchen, Renovated Bathroom up to $30,000, Renovated Kitchen $30,001 to $50,000, Residential Interior Design over $200,000 and Brisbane Residential Interior Design.

‘Mosaic are very proud and humbled to say that we’ve won some prestigious awards with HIA over the last couple of years. There’s always a great deal of excitement and anticipation prior to the awards nights,’ Brook says. ‘The events themselves are a great way to stay in touch with people and companies within the industry, and to chat in a more relaxed environment.’

Brook says being recognised with these HIA awards shows that he and the team at Mosaic are achieving their primary goal: ‘developing and building the highest standard of residential living’.

‘Sunset House is a special project, Mosaic is foremost a developer of off-the-plan property. However, we still work very closely with clients to ensure they get everything they want in a quality residence. We’re always willing to respond to our clients’ individual needs and if we can make it happen we certainly will,’ he says.