Connect with nature

As we look to our gardens and suburbs for solace, we can expect to see our homes integrate a similar connection to nature moving forwards. That's where a design like Gallery Living's Miro 280 is already a step ahead

Staying home for the past six weeks has taught me many things , but one of the biggest is how important a connection to nature is for your wellbeing. It seems I'm not alone in that mentality either, all you have to do is look at the amount of people gardening and going for walks throughout the day. Experts refer to this connection as 'biophilia' and moving forward , it's an idea that will likely influence the way we design our homes.

When it comes to homes that encourage this connection, Gallery Living's Miro 280 is already a step ahead. On display at Aston Hills estate at Mt Barker, this unique four-bedroom, two-bathroom design positions every bedroom and living space so it connects to a tree-lined courtyard or garden space - instead of just a side fence or a neighbouring property. The result is a burst of fresh greenery through every window and it certainly creates a magnificent outlook and is something to aspire to.

Gallery Living's marketing manager Jaye Smith says the way the Miro 280 works with the surrounding landscape makes it a particularly out standing home to live in. "The Miro 280 has a strong integration with outdoor spaces thanks to the central courtyard, gorgeous sliding doors throughout the living areas and full height louvre windows," she says. "It can completely open up all the living spaces to the outdoors as well as from the master bedroom."

Designed to suit a traditional sized allotment with a minimum 18m frontage - including a double garage - Jaye says the Miro It's a well considered family home, designed with a young family in mind," she says. "The home is zoned extremely well with limited hallways and sunlit areas throughout, with passive surveillance but separation happening at the same time." The layout of Miro 280 is designed around two central courtyards, with a living area, master bedroom and ensuite, and double garage in the first half, and beyond the courtyards, an open plan living, three bedrooms, laundry and bathroom.

The open-plan living/dining/kitchen area will draw your attention with two sets of sliding doors opening the space to the undercover outdoor entertaining area and backyard. As someone who has found themselves in a cooking frenzy over the past month, the Miro 280's kitchen captured my attention on a whole other level. First I admired the stylish Essastone benchtop and Laminex cabinetry, then when you look a bit closer you discover a kitchen that's equipped to handle family living with ease.

"The open-plan pantry is a standout in this kitchen and ensures ingredients and tools are right on hand for anyone cooking," Jaye says. "The generous storage ensures that the kitchen is clutter-free and elegantly streamlined when not in use, perfect for handling the storage needs of family bulk purchases or the kitchen gadgets."

Another key element in this space is the clever use of windows to encourage natural airflow and amplify the spacious feel. "The floor-to-ceiling louvre windows across the dining space provide natural airflow through the kitchen and dining areas, removing any unwanted food smells and bringing in natural light for the preparation space," Jaye says. "Gallery Living is always looking for ways to bring the outside in and a window splashback in the kitchen does this in a simple and cost-effective manner."

Another key connection to the outdoors is the addition of an alfresco kitchen (an optional extra). "The outdoor kitchen is a popular upgrade we commonly see our clients include," Jaye says. "The additional cooking area is great for entertainers and South Australians love to be outdoors."

It's easy to get sidetracked by the openness of the living areas in the Miro 280, however the bedrooms don't lose out when it comes to encouraging the outdoors inside. The master suite has sliding doors connecting it to the tree-lined internal courtyard, creating a serene space for homeowners. The bedroom also includes a long built-in wardrobe, a generous ensuite and adjacent is a private lounge creating an extended adults' zone. The three minor bedrooms are toward the rear of the home, all with built-in robes and tall windows encouraging natural light in. The bathroom is next to the bedrooms and is split into three areas to assist with the morning routine.

Head to the centre of the home and you'll find a private study hidden behind a green sliding door. Jaye says in our current climate, designated spaces for work and study are essential and she expects them to become popular in future house designs. "It gives you a focused space away from the distractions of the living areas to work and also provides a defined space you can close the door on at the end of your work day," she says.

The clever layout and a home with a sleek facade, finished in a mix of sustainable materials, is perfectly contrasted by green foliage on display. "A play on grey is very much a popular palette, but the addition of a tinge of blue gives some uniqueness," Jaye says. "The facade creates a simple architectural statement that should stand the test of time."

10-May-20 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine 

Find out more about the Miro 280

Attractive connection

Wrapped around two internal courtyards, the Miro 280 design by
Gallery Living is a home that will be energy efficient, beautiful and long-lasting

So you've found a new home and you love it. But what about in five or 10 years' time? Will you still love the look and feel of it down the track? Well, I may have found a design that fulfils long-term appeal, but also provides light and beauty, innovative design and a contemporary point of difference to other home options.

Setting itself apart is the spacious four bedroom, two-bathroom Miro 280 design by Gallery Living. It's one of my favourite designs that I've seen in the past two or three years. With a distinctive floorplan, that from above looks like a capital I (or an H on its side), it is designed around two internal courtyards that teem the home with light throughout the day.

There's two main living zones in the Miro 280 - placed on either side of one of the courtyards and with windows and doors on multiple sides of these spaces as the sun moves during the day, so does the light coming in. A new version of the Miro 280 design is on display to view at Mt Barker in the Aston Hills development.

Gallery Living's Juliet Haslam says the Miro 280 steps away from traditional home design and often surprises visitors walking through with its innovative layout. "It is a modern evolution from the traditional large box family home, bringing architectural details, functionality and ever present connection with the outside," Juliet says.  "We wanted to challenge tradition that larger family homes always struggle to have direct light in every living area.

By wrapping the house around the central courtyard we ensure every living area is light -filled and open. With clever window design specific to each different block, we can use this unique feature to make this large family home very energy-efficient, dramatically cutting down household heating and cooling costs. "The central courtyard also clearly separates the front section of the house to a parents' area that opens out into its own outdoor areas."

As soon as you open the door of the Miro 280 display at Aston Hills, it's clear you're entering a home with a difference. The view to the internal courtyard is ahead, and beyond that the kitchen, yet the open lounge next to you is partially blocked from sight with a striking black partition wall creating an element of privacy. There's tall windows in all directions and you could initially think this home will lack privacy, but, like the front lounge, careful placement of partition walls as dividers and room angles ensures there will be privacy for all family members.

The home offers four bedrooms with the master suite being to the far right of the design past the front lounge, while the remaining three bedrooms are at the opposite point of the home facing the rear and side gardens. All but one comes with good-size wardrobes as standard, and in between the spacious study has the option of being a fifth bedroom.
The study is positioned at the home's narrowest point between both internal courtyards, so if you do work or study at home, it will be a tranquil space. The study and the courtyards help define the home's zones: the parents' wing to the front, the family open plan area at the rear and the children's wing off to one side.

Juliet says the Miro 280 has become one of Gallery Living's most popular family designs. "The Miro 280 is a family home for people who want a large, light -filled, affordable home," she says. 'We are often told by people coming through the home for the first time how surprised and impressed they are by it. "From the front the Miro is deceptively simple but as soon as you walk-in the front door the home opens up around the internal courtyard. "The front section of the lounge and master bedroom creates a parents' sanctuary, and as you move into the home, past the study, the open plan living, kitchen and dining create a great open family space that leads directly to either the rear yard or side alfresco that is perfect for entertaining and an outdoor kitchen. The children's rooms are in a separate area, which also includes a large amount of storage space."

As well as good storage throughout, including in the hallway and in the double garage, the interior of the Aston Hills display showcases Gallery Living's middle level specification that includes many of the standard fittings, and also a few upgrades. Elegant Quickstep floorboards seamlessly flow through the living zones creating a warmth in the larger spaces, while carpet softens the front lounge and bedrooms. The galley-style kitchen and its impressive Caesarstone-topped island bench with waterfall ends (optional upgrade), and cupboards on both sides is a flagship space.

The lowered ceiling, mirrored splashback, drop down pendant lighting and views on either side to the outdoors makes it feel genuinely social and the hub of home life. Striking semi-commercial style sliding doors (upgrade) lead out to the alfresco, which is a standard inclusion but has also been finished with some extras. "The alfresco under the main roof is standard and we have finished it with optional extras of hardwood timber decking, a feature wall and outdoor kitchen," Juliet says. "All living areas are directly connected to the outside, and the large alfresco is perfect for modern entertaining." Not to be forgotten is the design's wet areas, which have been impressively finished with timber laminate on vanities, spacious proportions and complete privacy.

The laundry is a fabulously long space leading to the second courtyard, while the three-way main bathroom is a great free-flowing multi-tasking space allowing several people to use it simultaneously. The ensuite, however, shouldn't be undervalued, despite being positioned unusually at the front of the home, Juliet says. "Traditionally the master bedroom faces the street and the ensuite sits behind it," she says. "By flipping this we have changed the master bedroom from the least private to a most beautiful bedroom with a sliding door straight out to internal courtyard, letting you pull back the curtains and enjoy the view on those rare parent sleep-in mornings. "The front ensuite also doubles as a sound buffer, which is perfect for noisy streets."

The Miro 280 design is suited to a wider block of 18m or greater and one that is 30m deep, and also would look great on acreage, particularly with its mix of designer weatherboard, Hebel and corrugate exterior cladding.

"We aim to design homes that look great today, and will still look great in 20 years' time. Aside from looking great, the fact that these materials do not retain excess heat, means that we can really increase the amount of glass (and hence light and warmth) in the design compared to using conventional materials like clay brick and concrete roof tiles."

23-Jul-2017 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

Find out more about the Miro 280

Top 4 alfrescos - Miro 280

It's all about the flow

This design takes the alfresco and integrates it seamlessly with the indoor kitchen and main living room. There's a solid exterior wall for you to add an outdoor kitchen and it comes complete with decking - so you'll be ready to party as soon as you move in. The innovative design also has a complementary internal courtyard as a second outdoor zone.

18-Jun-2017 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

Find out more about the Miro 280

All Change

Gallery Living’s Miro 250 is a traditional home with a twist

The Miro 250 shows Gallery Living knows a courtyard is central to a modern family’s dream home. The builder has stretched and opened up the traditional square footprint to include an internal courtyard.

This feature means every space in the home is filled with natural light. And speaking of spaces, the Miro 250 floorplan is also cleverly zoned, adding to its appeal.

The master bedroom, which has a generous ensuite, is at the front of the home. It is accessed from the adjoining formal lounge which can double as a home theatre.

To give mum and dad privacy, both rooms can be completely separated from the open-plan family zone.

That family zone, which includes the kitchen, dining and living areas, is a huge space for spending time together and parties.

It is ideal for hosting large groups of friends and family, and the zone becomes even bigger when the doors to an alfresco, which is a design option, are opened.

That alfresco area, which allows for seamless indoor outdoor entertaining, can be accessed from the dining and living areas.

The three minor bedrooms, any of which could be converted into a study, with the main bathroom and laundry, form a guest/children’s wing which runs off a hallway behind the kitchen to form another separate zone.

The home also has the benefit of access from the garage, a great security feature not to mention handy when unloading shopping from the car.

12-Jan-14 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

This exact house model is no longer available, to see a similar house please view the  Miro 245.

Point of Difference

The Miro 280 by Gallery Living was designed  with a fresh approach - and to make the most of natural light

From the street, the contemporary Miro 280 by Gallery Living is strikingly different from the standard South Australian home - it's almost more holiday home style than everyday living.

Built in CSR's Hebel PowerPanels, Mid Orb Colorbond and Hardies' Scyon Stria (the timber-look panels), it reminds me of the timberclad homes in Brisbane, a place I lived in my late teens and early 20s.

Even back then, the beautiful Queenslander-style homes made an impression on me, with their chilled out, relaxed living. And you know, that's exactly what I like about the Miro 280. Gallery Living Miro 280 isn't trying to be a Queenslander by any stretch, but the same elements are there, in a true modern single storey approach.

Once you go through the front door, the contemporary look takes on a thoroughly modern living feel, with a dropped ceiling over the entry to define the open-plan design and to avoid the need for walls to separate areas.

As Helen Lowrie from Gallery Living puts it, the idea was to design something that was "out of the box". "Generally, large family homes with four bedrooms are designed in a box or rectangular format," she says.

"We believe that home design needs fresh thinking. This was a result of a brief to design something different or ‘out of the box'. "All the passages have ceilings of different heights. This results in keeping the design open, but means each space feels different as you walk through the home.

"When the home is sited correctly on a block, it allows the lovely northern light to enter the home for natural heating and light in winter and natural light in summer." The light is something all families will appreciate and it comes from all directions, with glass, windows and wide sliding doors off the living area being a dominant feature of this home.

The design is built around two internal courtyards, with another undercover outdoor space at the rear for year-round entertaining. "With the inclusion of two internal courtyards, the home is flooded with natural light," Helen says.

"Each living area, the study and main bedroom have access to vast quantities of glass and light. The integrated undercover alfresco area really embraces everything that is great about living in our climate."

This aspect of the home has not been lost on visitors, most of whom say the abundant light is one of the home's most impressive features, as well as with a wide shower at one end, a long double vanity and toilet - all styled in smart tones and with plenty of room for dressing.

The spacious master bedroom also features an entire wall of wardrobes. The study is in a central location within the home, making it a multi-functional space - keep it as an extra bedroom for when guests stay, or as a home office. In the display home it features a wide door in a popping red colour, and because of its great position it could also be a children's playzone, where mum and dad can easily keep an eye on the kids from the kitchen and both living areas.

Sustainability factors and cost of living have also been considered in the Miro 280. "We use materials that avoid the retention of excess heat, which helps keep a more constant temperature in the home," Helen says.

"The alfresco area is contained under the main roof, giving a sheltered area that can be used in summer, away from the sun's harshness, or in winter under cover." The display at Bluestone Drive, Mt Barker shows visitors most of the standard inclusions in a Gallery Living home, however, the ceilings have been upgraded from the standard 2.4m to 2.7m.

The louvre windows are an upgraded finish, but work to demonstrate both the practical and aesthetic values of this type of window - and there are multiple options to personalise the home to suit each buyer. At 16.6m wide, the home is suited to a traditional block or bigger.

14-Sep-14 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

Find out more about the Miro 280