A new family residence in South Fremantle, designed for young couple and their two children. Their instruction was for us to act on their behalf as architects – a rare brief. They had few preconceptions, and presented CODA with a clean slate. The result: a modest building in masonry over two storeys capped by a full-sized roof deck with views to the fishing harbour; a muted exterior palette consisting of subtly patterned grey face brick over a smooth rendered base, containing an intensely colourful private realm. The dichotomy of public and private is betrayed only on the southern facade – where bright fuchsia ceramic tiling lines a deep window reveal facing the street.

Materials include standard domestic masonry construction, reinforced concrete slabs and aluminium window joinery powder-coated bronze. Split-faced brickwork is flipped to alternate between rough and smooth in a regular diagonal pattern as a skin to the first floor. A galvanised steel stair rising from a first floor terrace connects with the roof deck. There is also a pizza oven in the small back yard. Internally, the staircase is flooded with light through a polycarbonate roof and ceiling above. The project also features concrete floors, painted concrete soffits and intensely coloured fixed cabinetwork.