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47 9 771836 055007 > MARCH – MAY | 2020 AUD$17.95 | NZ$17.95 | SGD$13.95
The architect-designed house and studio of a local artist; emerging living models that respond to exponential urban growth; and a home in India that blurs architecture and anatomy – this is the Design Culture issue.
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Design Culture
A form of expression, a reflection of personality, a solution to a problem – design can be all things to all people. 26
DESIGN NEWS From the latest technologies to advance offerings in the audio– visual market to furniture and soft furnishings that truly make one feel at home; from enhancing our cooking capabilities in the kitchen to a unequivocally restorative experience in the bathroom, Habitus has you covered for the latest in design.
I dropped the purple down an extra line (extra line of text on last issue) - may want to check alignment.
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JAMES GARVAN Having worked for some of the most celebrated architectural firms at home and abroad, architect James Garvan set up his practice in 2016. In the time since, James has been leaving his mark on the streets of Sydney.
NEW HOUSING TYPOLOGIES In the midst of what some are calling a housing crisis, consulting editor Paul McGillick looks at different housing typologies and foreign practises – translated to suit our unique way of living.
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ICONIC BY KAREN MCCARTNEY In this exclusive extract from Karen McCartney’s latest book, we are invited inside Jackson House by architect Daryl Jackson.
102 IN ABSENCE In Absence is a powerful experience designed by Aaron Roberts and Kim Bridgland of Edition Office and artist Yhonnie Scarce. 108 25 YEARS OF SJB INTERIORS SJB Interiors was formed with Andrew Parr at the helm. After a quarter of a century in practice Andrew reflects on the evolution of the industry.
Traversing up, down and across the Indo Pacific Region we are steadfast in our mission to bring you innovative and intriguing examples of life lived through design.
Here are the people we’ve met along the road less travelled, who have generously welcomed Habitus and our loyal republic of Design Hunters into their homes and creative spaces. 42
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114 RIVER HOUSE GERROA A bold orange kitchen, colour matched to the iconic Toga sofa in the adjoining living room, brightens the otherwise neutral palette of this beach house by Ian Moore Architects.
68 ROS MORIATY Ros Moriaty and her husband John Moriaty founded the design agency Balarinji in 1983 in an effort to share Indigenous stories and design, and the heritage of their children, with the wider community.
124 DARLINGHURST HOUSE In the heart of Sydney this terrace renovation by Brad Swartz Architects simultaneously celebrates the 100+ year history of the house while modernising the interior configuration for its residents.
HEDY’S HOUSE An installation and photographic artist, Hedy lives with her son in a Melbourne warehouse that was designed by the late Australian architect Richard Swansson. The residence celebrates its history while catering to Hedy’s unique way of living and creating.
136 THREE STORIES NORTH Splinter Society artfully stitches together two separate residences to create a single abode in Fitzroy, Melbourne, for a couple and their young children.
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150 SPINAL HOUSE To house three generations in a single, humble residence formed a large part of the brief to Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara for this house in Colombo. 162 TWINS HOUSE Two twin brothers with contrasting personalities engaged architect Willis Kusuma to design two neighbouring houses in Indonesia that kept them connected, yet reflected their independent selves.
1. lightbox
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Sculptural forms
Beeline Design is a brand known for its understated designs and interesting use of materials; they design and create furniture which lends itself to a modern aesthetic but has a timeless appeal. They have continued to do so with their latest additions to the RIDGE COLLECTION. beelinefurnituredesign.com.au
Born out of collaboration between Melbourne designers Thomas Cohen and Maxam Whiteley, THOMAS MAXAM has launched CANDELABRA 0001 – the first of several limited-edition designs from the luxury product designers.
The frantic pace of today’s world makes the space and time dedicated to oneself especially important. Gessi has established an international tradition of creating extraordinary bathroom products that inspire the sensation of wellbeing and harmony. Designing a collection that embodies all the values of elegance and creating a space of wellness has resulted in Gessi’s new RILIEVO COLLECTION.
thomasmaxamstudio.com
abey.com.au
WAVE by Chiara Provasi is an evocatively curvaceous modular system that invites you to play with space in innovative ways. Elegant and freeform, this sectional piece can be configured to shape each unique environment, creating a sculptural centrepiece. chiaraprovasi.com
Released earlier this year, SOL is the third furniture collection by Australian designer and creative, Sarah Ellison. SOL, a reference to the personification of the sun in Roman mythology, was inspired by Sarah’s desire to create pieces with a sense of warmth and permanence. sarahellison.com.au
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Celebrating the raw and honest TEXT STEPHEN CRAFTI | PHOTOGRAPHY BENJAMIN HOSKING
Art and architecture are beautifully interwoven in this warehouse-style abode in South Yarra. Home of an installation and photographic artist, everything has been curated with an exacting eye.
2 . portrait
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New housing: turning Crisis into Opportunity — Is the housing crisis more an opportunity than a threat? Paul McGillick looks at new approaches to housing in a changing social and economic landscape. TEXT PAUL MCGILLICK
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What makes an Icon? —
Though she wouldn’t say so herself, Karen McCartney’s latest book can be taken as a survey on Australian architects and the houses they’ve designed in the latter half of last century. In this exclusive extract, we look at the previously unseen Jackson House by architect Daryl Jackson. TEXT KAREN MCCARTNEY | PHOTOGRAPHY MICHAEL WEE
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Site sensitive The eternal quest for natural light in an inner-city terrace finds a unique design solution in Sydney at the hands of Brad Swartz Architects.
TEXT HOLLY CUNNEEN | PHOTOGRAPHY TOM ROSS | STYLING OLIVIA BOSSY
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3 . on location
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t’s an almost immortalised brief to architect: residents of a heritage-listed terrace in an inner-city suburb – most often Sydney or Melbourne – imploring their architect to find a way to fill the house with natural light. And in response, an architect’s ingenuity and skill is tested as they face long and narrow houses with challenging site orientations, parti-walls, heritage associated restrictions, and council regulations to boot. The residents of Darlinghurst House in Sydney had lived in the former incarnation of the residence some years before engaging architect Brad Swartz. They found him through the widely acclaimed Darlinghurst Apartment (his own) that effectively launched his eponymous practice back in 2015. Unsurprisingly, to fill the house with as much natural light as possible was central to the brief, alongside updating and re-programming the 1880s-built terrace to facilitate a modern approach to living and respond to the couple’s unique way of life. Being restricted to the confines of an existing shell was nothing new for Brad – his portfolio to date shows he is more than adept in this way of thinking. “Instead of being able to build out, it was about trying to create perceptions of more space,” he says. Subtleties in design, such as OPENER | WHERE POSSIBLE, ORIGINAL FEATURES SUCH AS THE SANDSTONE WALLS, FIREPLACES, AND FLOORBOARDS HAVE BEEN RESTORED AND CELEBRATED IN THIS TERRACE RENOVATION BY BRAD SWARTZ ARCHITECTS. ABOVE | THROUGH THE LIVING AND DINING ROOMS ARE THE KITCHEN AND PANTRY. OPPOSITE | A SINGLE WINDOW ON THE WESTERN, STREET-FACING WALL AND A WINDOW TO THE COURTYARD OPPOSITE WERE ONCE THE SOLE SOURCES OF NATURAL LIGHT IN THE FRONT TWO ROOMS.
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The colour palette of the original features that have been retained and restored is mirrored in the newer materials.
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Transplanted Roots Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara balances nature and culture in this breezy three-generation family home in Colombo.
TEXT ASIH JENIE | PHOTOGRAPHY SEBASTIAN POSINGIS
3 . on location
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3 . on location
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ri Lankan wine and spirit entrepreneur Sathya Selvanagan wanted a home for his wife Madusha, their three daughters (the youngest a newborn) and his parents at Mount Lavinia, one of Colombo’s suburbs famed for its distinct golden-sanded beaches. The Selvanagans’ sizeable extended family lives nearby and Sathya wanted his family’s home to be large enough to accommodate all manners of large family festivities – baby showers, engagement parties, birthdays, pre-wedding ceremonies and so on – yet intimate enough to create memorable moments. He also wanted the design of the home to be a contemporary tribute to his family’s South Indian roots. Madusha wanted their home to inspire warmth and be tightly integrated with the outdoors despite wall-to-wall construction that populated the plot of land they bought for their home. For this, the pair approached Palinda Kannangara, an award-winning Sri Lankan architect (recognised in the 2018 Habitus House of the Year Awards) whose career they have followed closely over the years. “The attempt was to capture a bit of the atmosphere of South India in nuanced and subtle ways – without any direct architectural
influences – to provide its residents with a deeper connection with their roots despite living overseas,” says Palinda of the design approach. The architect burst into global consciousness in recent years thanks to a cohesive portfolio that thoughtfully captures the spirit of Sri Lanka. Among Palinda Kannangara Architects’ well-known design hallmarks are locally sourced materials, many of which are salvaged from old or demolished estates; honest finishes that will gain patina over time; and landscape designs that accommodate the island’s torrential monsoon instead of trying to exist separately from it. All of these are apparent in the Selvanagans’ house, and more. The 5410-sqaure-foot home is dubbed Spinal House after its main feature: an open-air central thoroughfare, a negative space that defines the spatial organisation of the home. The existing site was a trapezoidal plot wedged in a dense neighbourhood without significant views or vegetation. The spine is a natural design solution to divide the space into neat geometric zones and an opportunity for the residence to create its own oasis. “Despite its stolid exterior, the house attempts to create an oasis for the family where living spaces are totally permeable, and lush
OPENER | THE LIVING AND DINING AREA ARE VISUALLY CONNECTED VIA A COURTYARD. ABOVE | THE HOUSE PRESENTS AN OPAQUE FRONT THAT HIDES THE OASIS INSIDE. OPPOSITE | THE HOUSE'S TITULAR 'SPINE' IS A GREEN COURTYARD TOWARDS WHICH ALL THE ROOMS IN THE HOUSE TURN.
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Room to grow together
Indonesian architect Willis Kusuma creates two houses in one plot for twin brothers that express their complex characters, complete each other, and give them enough room to grow and thrive.
TEXT ASIH JENIE | PHOTOGRAPHY MARIO WIBOWO
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