Comfort Zones

Newcastle Herald

Saturday May 30, 1998

Maree Eggleston

Moving house involves much more than a simple change of address.

In Jenny and David Buckley's case it meant leaving behind a cherished family home in which they'd raised their five children, and a lifestyle shift from a rural acreage near Seaham to a waterfront location at Lake Macquarie.

Their new home's strong contemporary lines are also a departure from the sprawling country house they'd lived in previously.

The decision to build coincided with the onset of `empty nest' syndrome. With most of their offspring grown up and living independent lives the couple wanted a smaller, less maintenance-intensive property, and one that would provide new avenues for leisure as the time became available.

They engaged Newcastle architect Ian Easton to prepare a design that capitalised on the assets of the site ? its water frontage, wide lake views and level grade ? utilising low-maintenance materials.

Important, too, were the needs of younger family members still living at home and adult children who came to visit. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a study cover all eventualities.

Given the location, with the lake just a step away, large areas of glass and a nautical theme were in order.

The latter comes through most strongly in the lines of the open steel and timber central staircase and first-floor gallery, suggestive of the grand ocean liners. Functional role aside, the staircase provides definition between various zones of activity without interrupting the flow of communication or the views to be had from almost every corner.

With such a large and close-knit family a free-flowing progression of living spaces for relaxed get-togethers with children, grandchildren and friends was essential.

`We're definitely not a formal family,' Jenny said. `We like to get comfortable and settle in'.

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On summer weekends and evenings that usually happens around the sturdy oak table they brought with them from their previous home.

Not surprisingly, it remains the focus of casual meals and conversation adjacent to the sleek black-and-white kitchen, with the view through wide glass doors as an added bonus.

Or it might be a few metres away in deep leather sofas, enjoying a movie or music, or simply contemplating the changing moods of the lake.

In the depths of winter, when the remembered appeal of a blazing log fire grows too strong to resist, these activities often shift to a cosier setting.

Meals are taken around a lovely antique dining table with a double-sided Superheat 850 fireplace providing cheerful warmth.

The fire also heats an adjoining sitting room, a favourite retreat for quiet wintertime moments in front of the TV.

The juxtaposition of country and city, antique and contemporary, is one of the truly appealing features of this home.

An option was to refurnish in keeping with the structure's strong architectural lines, but the owners couldn't bring themselves to jettison a lifetime of memories in favour of a fleeting designer look.

And after all, when it comes down to the basics, those memories and the love they hold are what making a home is all about. *