The realisation of this family’s dream home was a long time coming and was thrown all the curveballs possible, from troubles with council approvals to budget blowouts, vandalism and robbery. But from the day they were handed the keys, Tony and Tania Kanellos haven’t left and have fallen in love with what they now get to call “our home”.
“We spent a lot of time at the house in its unfinished state, drinking coffee and just absorbing the surroundings to remind us that it’s worth it,” says Tania. “The day we got the keys from Leon, Tony wanted to stay the night and sleep on the floor because of the vandalism and theft. I suggested that if we had a mattress I’d stay too. Fifteen minutes later Tony had the mattress from our old house (just around the corner) on the roof of the car… we’ve enjoyed the place ever since.”
The Kanellos family have lived in the Lockleys area for a long time, and the nearby River Torrens holds many childhood memories for Tony. It only seemed fitting that this would be the area they would build their forever home. This site was originally occupied by a small house and remnants of a market garden that the previous owner was trying to sell in four parts. For sale for a few months with no luck, the property was relisted with three blocks for sale, each with a 15m frontage. “This we could work with,” say Tony and Tania.
The Kanelloses had only one main request for their abode: “A modern home that would make the most of the views and surrounds.” Family friend and architect Damian Campagnaro from DC Architecture had inspired Tony and Tania with his “House for a car” design in Mount Osmond, so he and his team were given full creative freedom to “design a home that looked fabulous but wouldn’t cost a fortune”. Damian and DC Architecture set out to create Tony and Tania’s modern family home using simple, low-maintenance and affordable materials to dramatic effect. While large wrap-around windows and an 11m pool on the home’s ground floor ate into the budget, the exterior was designed and built without the use of a single brick. Instead, black-and-white Colorbond steel cladding was used. The home’s uniqueness was to come from the two-storey, black, geometric, steel facade that covers the back and front of the home and was made to measure on site.
The monochromatic theme was maintained throughout the home’s interior, the simplicity allowing for views outside of the large wrap-around windows to be the feature of residence. At just 250sqm, the house appears a lot larger than it is thanks to the minimalist, modern design. It has three bedrooms with walk-in robes, a study, a family room and two balconies on each end of the house, as well as a small bathroom and an ensuite. The living space is an open, light-filled voided area with 6.3m ceilings. This space includes a matt-black kitchen, dining table and fireplace, all with views of the adjacent trees and the pool.
“Inside the place is slick and sleek. However, there are some homely elements, such as the gallery of family photos and artworks and the library of much-loved books, ornaments and DVDs,” reveal Tony
and Tania.
Tony and Tania admit that one hurdle was getting the design approved by council as it was a little out of the ordinary and the neighbours and council were sceptical. “Some people love it, many are unconvinced or undecided and a few certainly do hate this house. We love it!” enthuse the couple.
After the cost and time spent on this build, as well as dealing with vandalism and robbery, you could only imagine the sense of relief once the house was finished. Yet Tony and Tania have an overwhelming sense of appreciation and gratitude for what they’ve created. “Even when we went over budget, we decided the best thing to do was finish the house as designed. We are glad we did,” they say.
