The Premaydena house sits on a low podium on a largely wooded site. A balsa model, which expressed ideas the architect had been considering for his own house – lightness, simple modular proportions, screening and layering – inspires the house. To address the issue of cold, salty wind, the house is ‘a box within a box’; to address the clients’ request for two bedrooms and ensuites, separated from the living area, the house is ‘a box beside a box’. The house is highly visible due to its external orange metal panels, matched to the lichen that is ubiquitous to local beaches. The panels slide open to reveal a two-stage, private core. First, they enclose a verandah, which excludes summer sun, wind and salt moisture. Windows align perfectly with the parted panels and minimal internal ornamentation allows the residents to muse on the shifting clouds or geometric patterns of light cast on the verandah when the panels are closed on a bright, windy day. In the house, the application of boxes within and beside each other generates a series of elegant living spaces that provide respite from the external elements and opportunities to re-engage with daily rituals.