Luxurious Family Home - Oreo House by Taylor Pressly Architects

By using this spiral staircase as the focal point for the interior design, Taylor Pressly Architects consciously engaged with the architectural intent of the Oreo House. Aware that the interior design needed to heighten the overall experience of the home, the interiors take their cues from the architecture. This approach is felt in the materiality of the project. Taylor says, “the gesture is simple – use a material different in both texture and colour to bookend the spiral stair so that at every level of the house the sculpted stair remains the centrepiece of the home.”

With the feature of the white spiral stair at the centre, the interior design began with the black bookends to either side (which, Taylor explains, resulted in the ‘oreo’ that gives the house its name). “From there, the dialogue radiates outward to all other spaces,” he says. The use of timber was key to this approach, with the use of oak adding warmth to the home – wherever more warmth is desired, the amount of timber was increased.

Oak floorboards by Tongue n Groove were selected for the stair treads; the warmth and tactility of the timber contrasting with the smoothness of the white plaster. “In an overwhelming market of flooring options, it is great to work with a known and trusted product. Tongue n Groove has built a reputation for high-quality engineered timber flooring and one that we are proud to specify for our luxury homes,” says Taylor.

The Tongue n Groove floorboards used in the project are a solid engineered board that consists of three layers of European oak, a structure that provides superior stability and strength as a result of using the same integrity of material the whole way through. A highly distressed textural finish is hand-applied to the boards during the production process, imbuing them with a deeply textured surface that ensures the timber matches the rigour of the Oreo House’s strong interior materials palette, while simultaneously adding a natural warmth.

The use of the oak floorboards on the stair serves as a subtle hint as to what lies above. Moving from the lower living space, with a predominantly monochromatic palette dominated by a polished concrete floor and dark joinery, one arrives in a warm, light-filled sitting room that opens onto a terrace with views of the city. Here, elements of black and white provide continuity with the interior below, but the addition not only of oak floorboards but timber-clad walls and ceiling creates an individual space within the Oreo House that is defined by its materiality.

“The timber-lined walls and ceiling was an early gesture by CLP Architecture and one that we wanted to maintain and combine with elements consistent with our interior design,” says Taylor. “Tongue n Groove Chamoisee flooring was selected to provide the warmth and vibrancy to complement the experience for both uses as a quiet retreat and entertainment space. Tongue n Groove has been an early collaborative supplier for me since I set up the practice. Their prompt and professional service is the key variable to the continued relationship.”

The lifestyle of the clients was also a key consideration in the design. Taylor describes designing to the clients’ lifestyle as “an exciting part of the process.” The clients’ desire for a simple and refined home manifested in Taylor Pressly Architects’ conception of the interior as a ‘canvas’, both for the family’s life and for their input and creativity through the specification of loose furniture in collaboration with Astor & 8th.

On a functional level, as the home of a family of six, the project also needed to balance the brief for an elegant and minimalist interior with the practical necessities of everyday life. As a result, storage and the ability to conceal the inevitable daily clutter of a large family was imperative. The children’s study desks are concealed within the dining space through the use of pocket sliding doors. Similar details are used in the living room to hide the television and its associated components, while “simple yet crafted storage cabinets are used throughout the design to provide a minimalist aesthetic whilst acknowledging that families have stuff, and stuff needs to go somewhere,” Taylor reflects.

Taylor Pressly Architects were engaged to design the interiors when the concrete structure of the Oreo House had already begun construction. The result may have been a tight timeframe for the design, but more significantly, it led to a remarkably responsive interior design that resonates with the architecture while making its own unique contribution to the Oreo House – a sophisticated and functional family home.