3 minute read
ELOQUENT DIALOGUE
ELOQUENT DIALOGUE
An interplay between the existing and new manifests to create a modern family home.
DESIGN | Jolson Architecture & Interiors STYLING | Gabriel Saunders PHOTOGRAPHY | Lucas Allen WORDS | Yvette Caprioglio
Jolson architecture and interiors’ conscientious response to a familiar theme of modern meeting traditional results in a house that transcends its existing elements to reveal deftly resolved interior spaces.
Set among verdant surrounds, the heritage home is underpinned by layers of texture and modernisation, subtly gradated throughout the home. A new folded form mimics the house’s elbowed site and resonates through the interior spaces in dialogue with the architecture, creating a contrast between graphic elements that offset the ornate. “We would describe this project as blended,” Jolson director Mat Wright says. “Junctions have been crafted to show distinction yet softly blend architectural and interior detail from different eras.”
The home’s original front door has been reinstated and an oversized front step added to amplify a sense of arrival. Inside the home’s light-filled entrance, Jolson Architecture and Interiors have created a double-height void to allow a moment of harmony between new and old, with a distinctive spiral staircase sitting cohesively with original windows. “When a moment for reimagining spaces presents, an opportunity also presents; holding on to contributory elements, deleting the unsuccessful,” Mat says. This same sense of harmony has been created by blending the qualities of natural light with the light cast from bold new wall fittings, making them indistinguishable.
In contrast to the ornate architectural features, the interiors are deliberately pared-back. Textural details surface through finishes and furnishings, such as the Maxalto Crono sofas, Star Trek chair by Roberto Lazzeroni for Ceccotti Collezioni and Bell side table by Sebastian Herkner in the formal living space. The print above the sofa is by Stephen Jolson.
While pared back relative to the ornate architectural features, the home’s layered interiors have been created through a textured palette of finishes and furnishings. Waxed plaster walls, subdued tones, timbers and linens act as an ambient backdrop, highlighting detailed finishes such as the hand-sanded veneer in the Ceccotti credenza and the sculpted firewood tray. The soft palette in the kitchen and living area is given character through the robust materiality of metal, timber and stone. In the kitchen, a black granite bench follows the natural bend in the architecture, offering another subtle reference to the folded form.
The linen curtains are designed to ‘pool’ on the European oak floors in the formal dining space. The Cassina 413 Cab chairs with arms, a Living Divani Wedge dining table, and a Light Ring Horizontal pendant by Massimo Castagna for Henge are the defining elements in this space. A sculpture by Morgan Shimeld features on a marble plinth.
The second set of stairs allows functional, everyday family life to flow easily, leading up to the family’s retreat and private sleeping quarters while acting as a counterpoint to the formality seen in the entry. Gently nuanced and sensory, the home’s refined materiality offers tangible engagement with its occupants and in turn, with its connection to surrounding nature.
Waxed plaster walls reflect a consistent play of texture in the home. The family living space is shaped around a modern fireplace with a Troy Emery sculpture. It features the B&B Italia Ray sofa, Xilos coffee table, Luis magazine stand, Franke side table, Amoenus Swivel sofa and Artemide Lilo lamp.
The kitchen bench takes cues from the bend seen in the architecture and features a ceramic by Simone Karras and a Jardan Mist amber vase. Joko stools by Studio Bartoli Design sit up at the kitchen island. Robust materials and Miele and Qasier appliances were selected to create a functional family space.
A staircase ribbons through the double-height void at the heritage home’s entrance, taking inspiration from the original curved windows. Tessera light by Viabizzuno.
Every aspect of the ensuite reflects light – from the CDK Stone Calacatta Oro Grigio to the Astra Walker tapware. Sculpture by Ben Sheers and Clipped Wing bench in torched Tasmanian oak by Simon Ancher Studio.
The primary bedroom features a B&B Italia Alys bed, Fontana Max Ingrand bedside lamp, Peggy G. sofa by Roberto Lazzeroni for Ceccotti Collezioni and Behruz Studio silk rug.
The red brick heritage home retains its exterior features which bind it to its neighbours and verdant garden.
