The timeless architecture of the European tradition was Ursula Ebber’s Design for a family home for her children to grow up in the D’Aguilar Ranges at Mt. Crosby. I bought a map of the area said Ursula, German trained in engineering architecture and sat down in cold , grey Germany to design a house for sunny Australia. You do not have to be an Australian architect to know about living to face the north. The four bedroom family home on a sloping site has living and dining areas studio and decks all interconnected, and larger than usual rooms. Ursula said :” this is the result of the European influence. The people there in a rather cold Climate are primarily concerned with an inner worlds rather than the great outdoors.” Entry is from the foyer and multi purpose room at the mezzanine level .This is the day level. Stairs lead from the foyer to a spacious living room at the lower ground floor and the vast deck in front. From here the full drama of the house is revealed. Soaring rafters supporting the timber lined cathedral ceilings rise high overhead, over the hanging gardens of the dining room and higher still over the studio on the upper ground floor. Ornamental plants cascade from planters that are also the balustrades. At the highest level are four bedrooms with another deck. Just as exciting is the view from this high studio to the living room two levels below. “This house has not been designed to impress in the status sense, nor does it conform to the normal.” Ursula said. It has been designed to impress with its unpretentious elegance and timeless beauty. You can’t put a date on it,”
