In This House, Drawing On The Walls Is Encouraged

A large black chalkboard wall with children's drawings, a circular mirror, and an angled timber sliding door creates a playful feature in this renovated family home.

When CHEG Architecture renovated Pomegranate House for a young family, the goal was to create a home that could accommodate their busy, active lifestyle while also providing calm, relaxing spaces. Three features in particular help achieve that balance, a playful chalkboard wall with a sliding door, a folding room divider, and a redesigned staircase with concealed storage.

A Chalkboard Wall With a Sliding Door

One of the home’s most playful features is a large black chalkboard wall that gives the children a place to draw and write freely. A circular opening offers a view into the space beyond, while a timber panel with an angled edge slides along a ceiling-mounted track to open or close the adjoining passage.

A child draws on a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard wall featuring a large circular mirror. The modern playroom also includes timber flooring, a knitted pouf, and a small orange table.

The sliding panel can be positioned across the opening or moved aside to provide access to the adjoining space. Its angled design also introduces an interesting geometric detail to the otherwise simple wall.

A circular opening provides a view through the chalkboard wall, while a timber panel with an angled edge slides along a ceiling-mounted track to open or close the adjoining passage.

An angled timber sliding door opens to reveal a passage beside a large black chalkboard wall. The design combines a playful drawing surface with a flexible interior doorway.

The combination of the chalkboard and sliding panel gives the children’s area a practical feature that supports play while allowing the layout to be adjusted when needed.

A Folding Wall That Transforms the Space

Another interesting feature is a full-height folding partition that allows an interior space to be divided or opened up.

When closed, the panels form a continuous wall, creating a separation between adjoining areas without the need for a permanent partition.

A full-height folding partition forms a continuous wall of warm brown panels, creating a flexible room divider beside a black chalkboard feature wall.

The panels can then be folded together and moved to one side, revealing the space beyond. This allows the family to change how the area is used, whether they need separate spaces for different activities or a larger, more open room.

A folding room divider with hinged panels extends across a modern interior. The accordion-style partition can be folded to one side to open up the adjoining space.

Full-height folding wall panels are stacked against one side of a room, revealing timber floors, white walls, and a seating area with a leather chair and guitar.

A folding partition opens up a modern family room with timber flooring, white walls, and a small seating area. The panels fold away beside a built-in bookcase.

The folding wall is part of a wider approach to flexibility throughout the renovation. CHEG Architecture designed the rooms to accommodate different furniture arrangements and activities, allowing the house to adapt as the family’s needs change.

A Staircase With Hidden Storage

Redesigning the staircase presented a particular challenge. Changes to the ground-floor layout meant the architects had to fit a new staircase within the restricted space occupied by the original.

The solution combines open timber treads with a perforated black metal screen, creating a staircase that remains visually open while incorporating a substantial amount of concealed storage beneath it.

A modern staircase features open timber treads, a black perforated metal screen, and concealed white storage cabinets beneath the steps. A curved wall softens the adjoining living area.

A side view of a modern staircase highlights floating timber treads, black perforated metal screening, and built-in cabinetry beneath the stairs.

When closed, the storage doors form a series of white panels that follow the changing height beneath the stairs. The cabinetry blends into the adjoining curved wall, keeping the storage largely out of sight.

A contemporary staircase with timber treads and a black metal screen incorporates concealed storage behind white doors, with one cabinet opened to reveal the hidden space.

Opening the tall cabinet doors reveals the storage compartments, including shelving fitted into the angled space beneath the steps.

Tall white cabinet doors open outward beneath a modern timber staircase, revealing how concealed under-stair storage is integrated into the stepped design.

Built-in storage shelves make use of the angled space beneath a modern staircase. A white cabinet door opens to reveal shelving fitted below the timber treads and perforated metal screen.

By incorporating storage directly beneath the staircase, the architects made use of an awkward area while addressing the restrictions of the existing house.

Together, these three features show how the renovation balances the family’s need for calm, organized interiors with spaces that can change, accommodate different activities, and encourage play.

Photography by Dave Kulesza | Architecture, Interiors, Stair Design, Joinery Design and Styling: CHEG Architecture | Builder: EHS Building | Joinery Maker: Absolute Kitchens + Joinery