Gipkji

Australian Residential Architecture and Design

A WARM EMBRACE ISSUE 146

Inviting spaces that welcome you home

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At a Glance

From the Editor Musings

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Contributors

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Fresh finds Products

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Lust for Lifestyle: Modern 44 Adelaide Homes 1950–1965 Exhibition An exhibition charting the emergence and evolution of modernism in South Australia.

Finishing touches 50 Products A collection of furniture and homewares with distinctive character and enduring appeal.

Relatively Useful Exhibition A Melbourne exhibition exploring “gradients of collaboration” between designers and makers.

Glenda and Alistair’s Melbourne home came complete with planning permit, which led them to their architect.

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46 One to Watch Furminger

Studio Dean Norton

Chris Furminger’s architectural sensibility is enriched by his experience of materials and making.

Melbourne designer Dean Norton explores the creative tension between art and design.

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COVID Retrospect: 130 A Reconsidered Residential Habitat Postscript This Brisbane exhibition asked: How might our experiences of the pandemic shape the future of residential design?

HOUSES 146

42 Working with an Architect Hood House

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First House Rob Kennon Architects

In Profile Wowowa Architecture

Revisited Lobster Bay House

by Ian McKay

Rob Kennon’s first house was an elemental and efficient home that framed the rugged landscape of the Otways.

With a fervent dislike for “boring spaces,” this self-assured practice’s residential work is seriously fun.

Designed in 1972 by Ian McKay for photojournalist David Moore, this home endures as a cherished retreat for Moore’s family.

AT A GLANCE

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The homes examined in this issue remake houses from past eras, with refined and resourceful adaptations that elevate everyday domesticity.

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Cascade House

by John Ellway Architect

Always

by Kennedy Nolan

34 Hood House

by Mihaly Slocombe Architects

Alteration + Addition Brisbane, Qld

New House Flinders, Vic

Alteration + Addition Melbourne, Vic

54 Noosa Heads House

by Vokes + Peters

Palmette

by Sum

O House

by Marston Architects

Alteration + Addition Noosa Heads, Qld

Alteration + Addition Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + Addition Sydney, NSW

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Bridge House

by Kister Architects

Higham Road House

by Philip Stejskal Architecture

Eastham Street

by Muir

Alteration + Addition Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + Addition Fremantle, WA

Alteration + Addition Melbourne, Vic

CONTENTS

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Musings

02 For many of us, as the cooler weather sets in and the days get shorter, the appeal of spending time ensconced at home intensifies. The homes explored in this issue demonstrate the different ways architects and designers create opportunities for respite from the clamour of everyday life.

Always by Kennedy Nolan (cover and page 26) is a refuge from city life, where a richly layered interior devoid of harsh contrast achieves an atmosphere of comfort and welcome languor.

Also in this issue, we look at a number of homes that show how the imperfections of houses from past eras can be adapted to suit the demands of modern life. Examples include the Noosa Heads House by Vokes and Peters (page 54), a resourceful remaking of a suburban beach house; Cascade House by John Ellway Architect (page 18), a deliberately modest lean-to that resolves a Queenslander home’s lack of garden connection; and Bridge House by Kister Architects (page 88), which reimagines a Melbourne home with distinctive 1970s heritage to suit contemporary ways of living. I hope you enjoy the issue.

Alexa Kempton, editor

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01 Join us in Melbourne to celebrate the winners of the 2022 Houses Awards! We’ll be raising a glass to honour the best of this year’s Australian residential architecture and design. Winners will be announced at the Houses Awards on Friday 29 July at State Library Victoria.

Tickets are on sale now.

We hope to see you there!

Image: SRG House by Studio Johnston, winner of the 2021 award for House in a Heritage Context. Photograph

by Anson Smart. housesawards.com.au

Write to us at houses@archmedia.com.au Subscribe Print: architecturemedia.com Newsletter: architectureau.com/ newsletters_list Find us @housesmagazine

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MUSINGS

02 Experience the transformative installations made by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota in the largest solo exhibition of the artist’s work to date.

Travelling to QAGOMA from the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, The Soul Trembles is a fascinating insight into Shiota’s process of constructing works from millions of fine threads, which the artist uses to express memories, anxiety, dreams and silence. At QAGOMA from 18 June until 3 October 2022. Artwork: Chiharu Shiota, installation view of Uncertain Journey 2016/2019, in The Soul Trembles at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2019. Photograph: Sunhi Mang, courtesy of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. qagoma.qld.gov.au

03 Witness more than 70 artworks from the Tate’s national collection at ACMI this winter. Light: Works from Tate’s Collection features artworks that span 200 years of art history, from painting, photography and sculpture to installation and the moving image. The exhibition delves into the challenges of capturing the transience of light and shadow, and showcases how artists such as James Turrell, Tacita Dean and John Constable have captured or harnessed light in their work. At ACMI from 16 June until 13 November 2022.

Image: Raemar, Blue, 1969,

by James Turrell.

Photograph: Chen Hao. acmi.net.au

mondoluce.com

Contributors Editor Alexa Kempton Editorial enquiries Alexa Kempton T: +61 3 8699 1000 houses@archmedia.com.au

Dirk Yates Writer Brisbane-based Dirk Yates leads the multidisciplinary studio practice Speculative Architecture, specializing in the design of public buildings and experiences of art.

He is currently working on the design of a secondary school, a temple and integrated artworks.

Jemima Retallack Writer Jemima Retallack is a co-director of Retallack Thompson, a Sydneybased architecture office established in 2016. The practice is interested in creating timeless and enduring architecture, and focuses on the human experience of place.

Editorial director Katelin Butler Editorial team Georgia Birks Nicci Dodanwela Jude Ellison Cassie Hansen Josh Harris Production Goran Rupena Design Janine Wurfel janine@studiometrik.com General manager sales Michael Pollard National account managers Daniel Hobbs Sarah Maher

CEO/Publisher Jacinta Reedy Company secretary Ian Close General manager operations Jane Wheeler General manager digital publishing Mark Scruby

Published by Architecture Media Pty Ltd ACN 008 626 686 Level 6, 163 Eastern Road South Melbourne Vic 3205 Australia T: +61 3 8699 1000 F: +61 3 9696 2617 publisher@archmedia.com.au architecturemedia.com Endorsed by The Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia.

Advertising enquiries All states advertising@ archmedia.com.au +61 3 8699 1000

Alexandra Brown Writer Alex Brown is an architect and senior lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Monash University.

Her research and practice explore twentieth-century and contemporary art– architecture relationships, as well as architecture and radicality from the 1960s onwards.

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Print management DAI Print Distribution Australia: Are Direct (newsagents) and International: Eight Point Distribution

Stuart Symons Writer Stuart Symons is a mid-century architecture historian, the founder of Modernist Adelaide and the author of Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s.

Modernist Adelaide was awarded the City of Adelaide Prize Commendation in 2021 and Stuart was named Emerging South Australian Historian of the Year in 2019.

CONTRIBUTORS

Member Circulations Audit Board

Subscriptions architecturemedia.com/store subscribe@archmedia.com.au or contact the publisher above ISSN 1440-3382

Cover: Always by Kennedy Nolan. Artwork: Rerrkirrwaŋa Munuŋgurr.

Photograph: Derek Swalwell.

Copyright: HOUSES® is a registered trademark of Architecture Media Pty Ltd. All designs and plans in this publication are copyright and are the property of the architects and designers concerned.

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Fresh finds

The designers of these new pieces for the home delight in the craft of making, with products that offer lean and elegant forms, quiet drama or effortless versatility.

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Find more residential products: selector.com and productnews.com.au

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HOUSES 146

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01 Rushcutters Bench At the 2022 Melbourne Design Fair, Adelaidebased designer James Howe unveiled a limited edition version of the Rushcutters Bench.

For this piece, the woven Danish cord used to make the seat was carefully measured and dyed to create an alternating pattern of colour. jameshowe.com.au

03 Pacha Lounge Chair Curvaceous, soft and low-slung, the Pacha Lounge Chair is a joyfully modernist chair that offers extreme comfort and effortless versatility. The voluminous form realizes Pierre Paulin’s vision of giving users the sensation of sitting on clouds. Manufactured by Gubi. ingoodcompany.com.au

02 Curve Collection Chair 2 Drawing on the monumental forms of Brutalism, this brass chair has been made as one solid object. Subtle variations in the patina finish celebrate imperfections and highlight the beauty of brass. Designed by Two Lines Studio, inspired by Daciano da Costa’s Alvor chair. twolinesstudio.com.au

04 Innate 2.0 desk Lean and elegant, the Innate 2.0 desk is part of a collaboration between Jon Goulder and Spence and Lyda. The desk features hardwood timber, black powdercoated aluminium and delicate brass details. The drawer rotates as it opens, adding an element of surprise. spenceandlyda.com.au

FRESH FINDS

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05 Smooth Shelf Solid in structure yet soft on the eyes, Smooth Shelf is designed and fabricated in Melbourne by Nicole Lawrence. Made from steel, it features dramatic curving shelves and flat interlocking elements, and can be powdercoated in standard and custom colours. nicolelawrence.online

07 Moon Lamp Inspired by the subtle nuances and shadows that can be seen on the surface of the moon, Moon Lamp is a minimalist light that adds quiet drama to a room. The Japanese paper used on the surface is made by hand, lending each lamp a unique look. Designed by Davide Groppi. dedece.com

06 Pure Earth Offering a look of effortless sophistication, Pure Earth is one of five new brick collections from Austral Bricks that respond to demand for a contemporary yet classic palette. Made in Western Australia, Pure Earth is available in four colourways, and with a smooth or cut face. brickworks.com.au

08 Atlas Table Crafted from Hydrowood, a rare and undamaged timber sourced from Tasmania, the Atlas Table is designed by Brodie Neill of Made in Ratio. Three tiered shelves beneath the table offer storage and define a spherical shape that references the Southern Hemisphere. livingedge.com.au

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PRODUCTS

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09 Featherston RE Chair Out of production for decades, the Featherston RE Chair – originally designed in c. 1957 – has been relaunched by Grazia and Co. Made to the original specifications under licence by Gordon Mather Industries, the chair comprises a metal rod, and a contoured ply and upholstered seat. graziaandco.com.au

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Designed specifically for commercial applications, suitable for architectural homes. The AGS range has been a hallmark of the Capral offering for many years. With updated design cues, extensive glazing options and complementary lineal drain and vent systems the AGS range can be depended upon to satisfy even the most complex project needs.

Large spans, infinite configurations, strength and integrity – that’s AGS.

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CASCADE HOUSE

BY J O HN E L L W AY ARCHITECT

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In Brisbane’s Paddington, a new addition grafted onto the side of an elevated Queenslander steps down the site, orchestrating new living spaces around an uninterrupted connection to the garden.

Words by Kirsty Volz Photography by Toby Scott

Weeping lilly pillies (Waterhousea floribunda) are attractive evergreen trees indigenous to coastal regions of eastern Australia. The tree is distinctive for its gently drooping leaves, which flow like a textured green waterfall. A weeping lilly pilly is a feature of the courtyard at Cascade House, around which a new lean-to extension is organized. The house is connected both horizontally and vertically to the tree’s hanging foliage: on the lower floor, the shade from the tree provides a delightful picnic spot, while from the verandah of the upper level of the house – the original cottage – it’s possible to reach out and touch the crop of waxy green leaves.

Cascade House is a thoughtful addition to an early-twentieth-century Queensland vernacular “timber-and-tin” cottage, located in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Paddington. The addition repurposes an existing lean-to structure, providing new living spaces and an open kitchen for a family of five. The lean-to cascades down and across the site, negotiating the steep terrain by traversing some four metres in height from the original house down to street level. The skillion roof tilts down to the west, providing relief from the heat of the afternoon sun without interrupting a picturesque sunset outlook from the verandah over hilly, green and character-filled Paddington.

The project involved a minimal reconfiguration of the original house, which now accommodates the private areas of the home. The changes included a new ensuite, an updated family bathroom and a very functional laundry.

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CASCADE HOUSE

01 The new lean-to features a staggered plan that envelops a central courtyard.

Artwork: Dominique Corti.

Cascade House is built on the land of the Turrbal and Yuggera people.

5 Brisbane, Qld

Alteration + addition

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Family

Otherwise, the planning has retained the flexibility typical of Queenslander homes. Bedrooms, offices and playrooms are transposable to meet changing family needs. The characteristic wrap-around verandah to the north and west of the original home also remains.

In the addition, located to the side of the original house, architect John Ellway has cleverly used tiered site planning to generate a gradient of thresholds between spaces. Starting from the street entry, each set of five or six steps gradually marks the transition from the public sections of the house to a private, elevated retreat for the family. This staggered organization is vital in connecting the original high-set home to the ground, fulfilling the client’s need for spaces in which children can play while remaining within sight of the adults. A view of the new swimming pool from the kitchen window is an excellent example of how the addition strengthens the connection between inside and outside and enhances family life.

The success of this home is due in part to the collaboration between John and his clients, Jacqueline and Oscar – both creative professionals – as well as to John’s ability to bring the client brief to life. A critical element of that brief was the request for “a place to picnic, on grass, under a tree, and sky.” American architect John Lautner received a similar brief for the Schaffer House (1949), a California home that was made famous decades later in Tom Ford’s 2009 film A Single Man. The Schaffer family wrote to Lautner, stating they wanted “a house that feels as if we’re picnicking under the oak trees.”

The driving force behind great houses is usually a desire for specific spatial qualities that look beyond a mere list of required rooms.

Cascade House is characterized by thoughtful details that help bring order to the occasional chaos of family life. Quality daylight in the living areas results from internal planning arranged around the landscape, where plants naturally filter changing light conditions throughout the day. Exposed timber rafters express the robust and simple geometry of the roofline, organizing the house practically and logically. There is a space for everything, and the level of care applied to built-in joinery is exceptional, from the contemporary take on the sunken lounge to the storage cupboards conveniently placed in entry spaces. John’s talent in translating a client’s vision for their home into a skilfully crafted design is commendable.

The shape and form of the weeping lilly pilly, and the colour and texture of its leaves, tell us about the climate from which it originated.

In the same way, the scale, form and materiality of Cascade House speak to its historical origins and the neighbourhood it occupies. When renovating houses of this type, there is a temptation to use the undercroft by lifting the existing home and building in underneath it. However, this approach often compromises the proportions of the existing house, and the suburban character with it.

John Ellway’s design for Cascade House demonstrates how good design can preserve the character of a house for its residents and benefit the visual amenity of the neighbourhood at large. The humility of Cascade House’s lean-to addition is true to its place, just like the weeping lilly pilly at the core of its plan.

HOUSES 146

ALTERATION + ADDITION

2 Site 402 m² Floor 195 m²

Design 24 m Build 12 m

Per m² $4,600

Products Roofing: Custom Orb corrugated cladding by Lysaght External walls: Concrete block from National Masonry; Rockcote sealed cement render; James Hardie fibre cement sheet in Resene ‘Double Alabaster’ paint Interna walls: Rockcote cement Internal render; Gyprock plasterboard Windows: Glazing from Viridian in ‘Clear’ and ‘Satinlite’; Aussie Woodworks timber Doors: Aussie Woodworks timber in Resene ‘Double Alabaster’; bronze mesh screens by Cyclone Flooring: Concrete by Polished Concrete Design in matt nil exposure finish Lighting: Custom pendant shades

by Repose; Teti ceiling lamps by Artemide; brass Torque wall lights

by CLA Lighting; Gubi pendants Kitchen: Birch plywood cabinetry

by Mister Plywood (manufacture) and Hiroad Spray Painting (finish) in Sayerlack natural-look lacquer; tapware by Astra Walker in ‘Eco Brass’; brass benchtops and sinks

by SF Fabrications; drawer runners and hinges by Blum; appliances by Fisher and Paykel; reverse osmosis water filter by Aquasafe; PSL handles by Henry Wilson in ‘Brass’ Bathroom: Bauhaus modular mosaic tiles by Glennon Tiles in ‘Ash’; Henry Wilson soap holders in ‘Brass’; toilets by Argent and Grohe; Bettestarlet bath by Bette; brass towel rails by Fog Linen Work Heating and cooling: Ducted airconditioning by Mitsubishi Electric; array of 16 solar panels External elements: Planting

by Briggs and Co; fencing by Chainwire; pool by Performance Pool and Spa; Wattle wire pool fencing by ARC Fences; decking oil by Feast Watson

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CASCADE HOUSE

Parking Prams below Bikes below Entry Meals Courtyard Kitchen Lounge Pool Breezeway Verandah Bed Hall Play Laundry

02 A view of the pool from the kitchen strengthens the indoor–outdoor connection.

03 Large sliding doors link the dining space to the courtyard, enhancing a sense of scale.

04 Living spaces step up gradually, following the site’s topography. Artwork: Jacqueline Kaytar for Repose.

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HOUSES 146

ALTERATION + ADDITION

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05 Built-in furniture maximizes usable space in a compact plan.

06 The verandah is used as a breezeway between old and new parts of the house.

07 The existing pitch of the roof has been extended over the addition, shielding living spaces from western sun.

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Architect John Ellway Architect mail@jellway.com jellway.com

HOUSES 146

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Project team John Ellway, Hannah Waring Interiors John Ellway Architect with Jacqueline Kaytar Builder Newman Building Contractors Engineer Ingineered Structural Engineers Garden designer Tom Collins Planner Bartley Burns Styling Repose

ALTERATION + ADDITION

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A LW AY S

BY KE N N E DY NOLAN

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Perched above the beach on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, this refined new house delivers an immersion in the immediate and sometimes wild coastal setting, offering its owners a calming refuge from city life.

Words by Marcus Baumgart Photography by Derek Swalwell

Flinders is quite a special place. Certainly picturesque, it is an exclusive locale on the eastern edge of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, sleepy – even a little reclusive – when compared to the more brash rota of towns on the other side of the peninsula, facing into Port Phillip Bay. This house is named Always, a reference to the statement “Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.”

The design approach manages to deliver several important things for its appreciative owner, and the Kennedy Nolan team has made good on some clearly articulated, shared aspirations to get to a satisfying result.

It is good when a house design is genuinely aspirational. The definition I invoke here is truer to the literal meaning, and we can set aside the use of that word in popular culture and social commentary. There is no media room, resort-style bathroom or eight-car garage here. The aspirations embedded in this home are simpler and more modest in terms of quantity, and yet pleasingly complex in terms of quality, especially the overall qualities of the place. This is a stark contrast to many houses nearby, which seem to invert the equation.

Practice director Patrick Kennedy uses the word “atmosphere,” and this seemingly casual choice of term decodes a lot of what I observed on my visit. The designers aspired, and the form of the house conspires, to create an immediate atmosphere that the owner, visitor and guest can all slip comfortably into on arrival.

In support of this goal, the material palette has been carefully refined.

It is anchored by the selection of muted, earthy colours in select places, and black and white are almost entirely absent. The balance of the palette is formed by a reliance on natural materials with an intrinsic or integrated finish and

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ALWAYS

01 A sheltered west terrace ensures the house can be used in all seasons.

02 The house comprises two perpendicular volumes that are staggered down the site.

Always is built on the land of the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation.

8 Flinders, Victoria

New house

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Extended family (holiday house)

+1 (guest house)

material quality such as stone, timber and cloth. Blue-green slate covers the floors; blackbutt timber is used liberally both internally and externally, on horizontal and vertical surfaces; and cedar battens wrap the ceilings and joinery. Soft furnishings tend toward washed linen or something very like it, and hand-woven rugs with equally muted and gentle tones cover the slate floors. I am generally loath to use the term “naturalistic,” as it is somewhat imprecise, but this is certainly a house that more than nods to the natural world. To evoke a metaphor, if some houses and interiors are bold oil paintings, Always is a watercolour.

Harsh contrast is banished from this house in all but one important, qualitative respect: there is a comforting yet striking contrast between the cosiness of the interior and the sweeping panorama of the beach, the water and the horizon beyond. I visited on a warm, fine, sunny day, but it was not hard to imagine another kind of day at Flinders, when the cold and wet of winter has set in. On such a day, you would find yourself cosseted and enfolded by the warm, homespun qualities of the interior, even as the wind and rain straight off the water lashed the glass.

Enough of that reverie. This house essentially sits over two levels, with a detached guest suite near the top of the driveway, at the height of what would be a displaced third level. The land slopes from the street down the long driveway to the beach below. My travel companions, who skipped the visit to the house for a walk along the beach while Patrick and I chatted, reported that, seen from the beach, the house settles comfortably into the escarpment. It does this noticeably more than many of its neighbours.

The ground floor contains the living wing and a guest bedroom.

This portion of the house largely borrows its form from the original house on the site, which had to be demolished so that works could occur to stabilize the ground and the slope. The plan at this lower level runs along the contours of the slope, parallel to the beach, presenting a wide, panoramic glazed facade to the view.

The first floor is different in orientation, materiality and cast. It is set at ninety degrees to the ground floor and the beach, and is initially anchored to the site before projecting out. This concrete-framed part of the building has a trafficable roof planted with sea grasses and ground coverings, which form a green carpet above the rooms below. This wing contains two bedrooms, and the main bedroom projects boldly out over the deck below. A picture window frames a view of the water from the bed that is, frankly, breathtaking.

The final piece of the overall composition is the landscape design

by Amanda Oliver Gardens, a frequent collaborator of Kennedy Nolan’s. The landscaping is substantial and offers longevity; it is not a quick “greenwash” of the architecture, but rather a serious garden. It has thrived in the salt air over the first 12 months, and yet has only partially matured – real gardens take real time.

On balance, this house enthusiastically embraces its coastal aspect, forms a pleasing and modest prospect from the beach, and wraps its material shell around a calm interior that puts a downward influence on your blood pressure from the moment you arrive. What more could one want?

HOUSES 146

NEW HOUSE

3 +1 (guest house)

Site 2,388 m² Floor 543 m²

Design 16 m Build 2.5 y

Products Roofing: Granite gravel; sedum

by Fytogreen; PVDF aluminium

by Archclad in ‘Antique Copper’ External walls: Coldstream stone from Rocks Plus in TCM Colour ‘Sand Finish’; spotted gum timber cladding from Tait Internal walls: Western red cedar cladding from Cedar Sales and ceiling battens from Tait; rendered masonry in TCM Colour ‘Sand Finish’ Windows and doors: Custom solid blackbutt timber sections in Dulux Aquanamel Semi Gloss Floor ng: Sisal carpet from Flooring: Floorspace in ‘Fine Rustic Granite’; slate tile from RMS Natural Stone Victoria in ‘Surf Green’ Lighting: Acrobates 323 XL pendant by Lampe Gras from Luke’s Furniture; Sloop Bulkhead wall light from Dunlin; Banks Lantern 70 by The Society Inc from Hub Furniture; Dioscuri 14 lamp by Artemide Kitchen: Blackwood timber benchtop and battens; terazzo slab from Signorino in 853 (green); timber veneer from George Fethers in clear 10 percent gloss; stainless steel Lago sink by Abey from Elite Appliances; mixer by Vola from Mary Noall in ‘Raw Brass’; Fisher and Paykel refrigerator; Smeg Portofino oven in ‘Red’ Bathroom: Showerhead and mixer

by Vola in ‘Raw Brass’; glazed ceramic mosaic penny rounds from Academy Tiles in 82744, 82742 and 82748; laminate by Abet Laminati in ‘Lucida’; honed Carrara marble slab from CDK; honed terrazzo tiles from Signorino in EV-2012, EMA-1418 and EM-1026; basin by Astra Walker; Classic Duo oval bath by Kaldewei from Bathe; Laufen wall basin frame from Reece in Dulux ‘Manor Red’ Heating and cooling: In-slab heating External elements: Castlemaine slate paving from Yarrabee Stone

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Entry stair West terrace Dining Sitting Living East deck Beach stair East terrace Guest bedroom Kitchen Pantry Store Stair Main entry Garage Bedroom Main bedroom Robe Guest house

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Artwork (L–R): Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Paul Gauguin (reproduction, on screen).

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05 Timber and stone create a calm interior atmosphere.

Artwork: Rerrkirrwaŋa Munuŋgurr.

First floor 1:400

HOUSES 146

04 Views are framed to balance a cosy interior with the dramatic panorama of the ocean.

NEW HOUSE

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06 Curving walls wrapped in penny round tiles enhance the feeling of a cocooning interior.

07 A guest house at the highest point of the site overlooks the planted roof.

08 Gardens designed

by Amanda Oliver offer a rich landscape experience.

Guest house plan 1:400

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Architect Kennedy Nolan +61 3 9415 8971 email@kennedynolan.com.au kennedynolan.com.au

Project team Patrick Kennedy, Rachel Nolan, Catherine Blamey, Adriana Hanna, Susannah Lempriere, Peter Cole Builder Gaffcon Structural engineer Macleod Consulting, Webb Consult Geotechnical engineer A. S. James Landscape architect Amanda Oliver Gardens Town planner Urbis Building surveyor Metro Building Surveying

NEW HOUSE

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HOOD HOUSE

BY M I H A LY S LO C O M B E A RC H I T E CTS

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A terrace house that needed ‘serious attention’ has been transformed into a comfortable city home for a retired farming couple, who picked up the renovation where the previous owners left off.

Words by Brett Seakins Photography by Tatjana Plitt

Hood House, named for the distinctive window shroud at the rear of the home, could easily have been given the moniker Phoenix House. The architects at Mihaly Slocombe had designed, documented and navigated an arduous town planning process for this single-fronted terrace in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Carlton, only to have the project permanently shelved just as tool belts were being strapped on, when the clients opted to sell the property. Fortuitously, however, a couple retiring from farm life in regional Victoria found what they were after in both the house and its proposed reworking. Hood House was to rise again.

Even more fortuitously, new owners Glenda and Alistair were enamoured with the design as it was, avoiding the need for a lengthy reassessment process at council. The only amendments of note were made internally, with the original scheme’s rich palette pared back to reflect the new clients’ more understated approach. Despite this emphasis on a more subtle interior, a series of beautifully detailed and executed aged-brass details were hung on to and used at key moments, such as in the sliding doors and on the highly bespoke bathroom cabinets.

At the outset, the original terrace needed serious attention; thankfully, the new clients were very keen to see it faithfully restored. The house is one of a pair, and the neighbouring dwelling, as well as a number of nearby homes displaying similar characteristics of the Queen Anne Revival period, provided a fantastic resource for the architects to assemble something that practice director Warwick Mihaly labelled “documentation by photographs.” This clever approach allowed the clients to understand the intent for new filigree around

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HOOD HOUSE

01 Large skylights solve the perennial problem of drawing natural light into a terraced house.

Artworks (L–R): Glen Thomson, Bill Harris, Peter Lik, Glen Thomson.

02 A large pivot door that spans the full width of the house opens the living space to the garden.

Hood House is built on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people.

2 Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + addition

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the gable, a bespoke bluestone plinth beneath the iron fence and period tiling patterns on the porch – all details that would have been very difficult to convey with drawings and specifications alone.

The Queen Anne Revival of the late nineteenth century is known for the use of transverse or “turned” gable roofs, which inspired the main architectural gesture – a rhythmic series of roofs springing from the original ridge line. This undulating form allowed a second floor to be added, with strategic dips admitting more light to the neighbours’ windows and demarcating the various rooms on the upper floor. The irregular peaks of the roof are a joy that can be appreciated from very few vantages externally, but that is expressed internally to great effect, with the tilting planes of the ceiling enlivening each space on the upper floor.

Externally, the walls and roof of the upper floor, as well as the titular window hood with its perforated pleats that control overlooking, shade and ventilation, are completed in a crisp white metal finish. The local council suggested this as a way to bounce more light into the neighbouring yards, but the choice was ultimately made after the architects ditched an earlier design clad in ubiquitous black metal, realizing that the dark forms muddied the delineation with the existing house. The white cladding gives the roof silhouette a lightness and elegance that would have been lost in a heavy black mass.

The internal planning, Warwick explains with an audible sigh of relief, was also retained as designed, meaning that the exhaustive work the studio undertook to wrestle a second floor into the house – without poking above the planning controls – was not lost. The key to the planning was the stair in the centre of the plan, which acts as a lynchpin that ties together a myriad of level issues as the house steps down the site. Beneath the stair, a very (in Warwick’s words) “blingy” bathroom steps down twice, once at the entry for clearance under the stair and again for the shower. Here, the team has pulled off an elegant and comfortable space, somehow uncompromised by its spatial restraints. Interestingly, the insertion of the bathroom has compressed the lower flight of the stair to a relatively narrow width of 80 centimetres, expanding dramatically at the landing to the 120-centimetre upper flight. This move from narrow to wide is actually a work of genius. By reducing the stair at the ground floor, a sense of threshold to the private upper-floor living spaces is created, while for those allowed upstairs, the reward is triple, with the effect of the widened stair, the tall volume above (acting as a thermal chimney) and an enormous skylight funnelling light into the living areas below creating quite an experience. The transition sequence was something of a discovery for the architects and one that they hope to use again.

The perennial challenge of the terrace typology is getting light into these spaces. This was especially true here, with the north orientation being to one of the side boundaries. To solve this, generous skylights were introduced along this edge, over the kitchen, where traditional windows would have been permanently overshadowed or screened. There is also what Warwick calls the “miracle” door, an enormous pivoting window that simultaneously frames and then dissolves the back of the house to connect it with a very urban view over the rooftops of inner Melbourne, a world away from the open pastures the clients recently left behind.

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ALTERATION + ADDITION

2 Site 192 m² Floor 205 m²

Design 5.5 y Build 18 m

Per m² $6,000

Products Roofing: Lysaght Spandek in Colorbond ‘Surfmist’ External walls: Recycled bricks by Eco Bricks in Colorbond ‘Surfmist’ Internal walls: Plasterboard by Plaster Pro Interiors in Dulux ‘Whisper White,’ ‘Poppy Leaf’ and ‘Self Destruct’; Super White Dolomite from Stonelux in Lithofin Stain-Stop finish; perforated hoop pine plywood in blackbutt veneer from Austral Plywoods Windows and doors: Victorian Ash timber from Saxon Windows and Joinery with Intergrain Ultraclear finish Flooring: Baltic pine with Loba Invisible Protect finish and blackbutt with Bona Traffic finish Lighting: Tuba Surface from Inlite; T Mini wall up-down from Artefact Industries; Artemide Dioscuri from ECC; Nelson Pear Bubble Lamp from Living Edge; Kirk from Archilux; Giano from Euroluce; Super Mini Skirt from Darkon K tchen: Joinery in 2-pac coating Kitchen: from Ox Finishes in ‘Whisper White’; integrated refrigerator from Fisher and Paykel; oven, integrated dishwasher, cooktop and rangehood from Miele; stainless steel sink from Abey; tapware from Astrawalker in ‘Urban Brass’ Bathroom: Green and gold terrazzo with Marbec anti-stain finish from Signorino; tapware from Astrawalker in ‘Urban Brass’; white ceramic toilet, hand basin and bath from Reece; heated towel rails from Hunt Heating powdercoated in Dulux ‘Wilderness’ and ‘Stone Beige’ Heating and cooling: Hydronic heating from Hurlcon; Fanco Eco Silent fan from Universal Fans; airconditioning from Actron Air External elements: Perforated steel screens from Handyman Steel and Perftech in ‘Surfmist’ Other: Hager Silhouette switches from Schneider Electric

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Entry Bedroom Rumpus Lightwell Living Kitchen Dining Laundry Deck Arbour Study Storage Robe

03 A timber stair in the centre of the plan acts as a lynchpin, tying the two floors together. Artworks (L–R): Bill Harris, Peter Lik, Glen Thomson, Marian Rennie, Rodney Symmons, Terrence John Hadler.

04 The stair is narrow at its base and expands outwards as it climbs, creating a sense of transition and arrival.

05 A white dolomite wall and Australian hardwood floors elevate the simple, pared-back palette.

Artwork: Micha.

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06 A pleated screen of perforated steel controls light, ventilation and overlooking in the first-floor bedroom.

Artwork: Micha.

07 The zigzag roof form is reflected in the ceilings of the first floor, making each space unique.

08 The rippling metal roof springs from the original house’s ridge line, dipping to admit light and views.

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Architect Mihaly Slocombe Architects +61 3 9080 2238 info@mihalyslocombe.com.au mihalyslocombe.com.au

Project team Warwick Mihaly, Erica Slocombe, Sinéad Lim, Jake Taylor, Job Gabriels, Amiee Groundwater Land surveyor Dickson Hearn Quantity surveyor Cost Planner Engineer Structure Studio Building surveyor Grimbos Building Surveyors Builder Builders of Architecture Stylist Bea and Co

ALTERATION + ADDITION

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HOOD HOUSE MEET THE OWNERS

Leaving behind a farming life in regional Victoria, empty nesters Glenda and Alistair purchased a Melbourne terrace that came with a planning permit for an extension designed

by Mihaly Slocombe Architects. Brett Seakins spoke to them about picking up the project and refining it to suit their own requirements.

WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT

Photography by Tatjana Plitt

Brett Seakins Can you tell me about yourselves and the journey you took to arrive here?

Glenda Having lived regionally for a long time, the past 18 years of which was spent running a 500-acre cattle farm in Strathbogie in northern Victoria, we decided that it was a “now or never” moment to embark on a new chapter, otherwise we would end up retiring on the farm.

We love to travel regularly, having experienced some remarkable places such as the Outer Hebrides and self-driving adventures across Africa, which was becoming increasingly difficult to do while running the farm. We were ready to retire from the farm, move elsewhere and free up more time for travel. After casting the net wide for possible locations to move to, we settled on Melbourne and began searching for a suitable location in the inner suburbs, lucking on this house in picturesque Carlton.

Alistair Initially, we were looking for a place to renovate, however many of the houses we looked at had already undergone some work, none of which ever really inspired us. As time was also a factor, finding this house – with planning permits already in place – easily saved us 18 months in the overall process.

Glenda Yes, soon after we purchased the house, we arranged to meet with Warwick [Mihaly] and Erica [Slocombe] at Mihaly Slocombe Architects and thankfully, we hit it off immediately. They were really pleased because they’d designed this project for another client, a young family, and perhaps felt that it would never be built. We loved how proud they were of the design but that they were also open to adapting the project to suit our needs.

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02 The extension is concealed behind the original home, a Queen Anne Revival-era house in Melbourne’s Carlton.

01 Glenda and Alistair inherited a design initially created for another client, and adapted it to fit their own needs.

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BS Was working with an architect always part of your plan for relocating to innersuburban Melbourne?

A Not really. We had project managed the construction of our previous home on the farm, working closely with a local builder, and had thought we might give that another go.

As it happens, with this project already having an architect attached to it, we decided to retain their services for the whole process.

03 A two-storey addition features a pleated metal screen that filters light, air and views in and out.

HOOD HOUSE

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G We were living regionally during construction, and because of the travel restrictions imposed in Melbourne during the various COVID-19 lockdowns, there were times that we were unable to get anywhere near Melbourne.

It meant having Sinéad [Lim] and Warwick from Mihaly Slocombe regularly attending site was invaluable.

A We also realized that building close to the city is a very different thing to what we had experienced previously. There were a lot of pressures on the project, from site access and building hours to negotiations with council, that Mihaly Slocombe handled.

BS You mentioned that your first inclination was to manage the process yourselves.

What was it about Mihaly Slocombe Architects that allowed you to hand over the project to them?

G It wasn’t an instant thing. Over the course of the redesign, they listened attentively and responded thoughtfully. There were things in the initial design that we weren’t rapt with, such as timber ceilings and slate floors and an elaborate kitchen island bench that could be moved to make way for big parties, all of which they were happy to reconsider. A big item that we wanted to change was the position

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of the kitchen; we wanted to swap its location with the living area, but they held firm. I think that after that discussion, we felt happy to surrender to the process, feeling safe in the hands of people who knew what they were doing. Now that the build is finished, we can see that the kitchen makes sense where it is.

Melbourne’s sixth lockdown ended. There were some interesting moments contractually, however, Mihaly Slocombe were very helpful in getting us across the line. The key assistance was navigating variations – something foreign to us – with the architects managing most of them before they needed our input.

BS Tell me a little bit about how the process was structured. Did you feel that it was a collaborative one?

G Right at the start of the process, after we’d initially met the team, Mihaly Slocombe arranged what they called a “discovery meeting.” It was really just a session in getting to know each other, where we could bring along some of our inspirations and where they could explain in detail the rationale behind the design of the project.

It was a great way to get everyone on the same footing. The communication was easy and the process was very open after this.

BS Which elements of the process surprised you, or was it largely as imagined?

G We relaxed into it pretty early on, once we knew we were in good hands. The whole process then became a series of nice surprises.

We were excited throughout the build to see all of the creative solutions and design elements materialize – things that we never would have thought of ourselves.

BS What challenges did you face in the construction phase of the project, and how did having the architect engaged for this phase assist you?

A Well, we built the entire project during COVID-19, only moving in a week or two after

WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT

BS Would you work with an architect again, and would you recommend it to others?

A We would definitely work with an architect again. Although with COVID-19 and everything else, the construction phase was pretty intense, so we’re not looking to go through it again, perhaps ever!

G Having said that, we would definitely work with Mihaly Slocombe if we did, and we would recommend the process to others considering embarking on the same path.

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Lust for Lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950–1965

This Adelaide exhibition offers a spectacular insight into the emergence and evolution of modernism in South Australia, charting the architects who designed the state's legacy of modern houses, and the well-heeled clients who commissioned them.

Words by Stuart Symons Photography courtesy of State Library of South Australia

EXHIBITION

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01 Perspective sketch of a house on The Esplanade, North Brighton, for R. J. Billam by John Chappel (1963).

02 House at Cross Road, Unley Park, designed by owner Langdon Badger, architectural drawings by Lawson, Cheesman, Doley and Partners (1958).

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EXHIBITION

In 1956, Adelaide’s architectural imagination was flying.

Bates Smart McCutcheon’s MLC Building was rising above Victoria Square as the city’s first International Style highrise, and as one of Australia’s first buildings to use full curtain wall construction. Robin Boyd’s Walkley House, with its striking glass box design, defied its heritage surroundings in conservative North Adelaide. And Adelaide’s own young meteors – including Brian Claridge, Newell Platten, Keith Neighbour and John Morphett – publicly announced their challenge to orthodoxy with an exhibition of 12 temporary modernist buildings and art in Botanic Park at the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Sixth Australian Architectural Convention.

Emboldened by increasing public acceptance of modern design, The Advertiser appointed young architect John Chappel as the newspaper’s official architecture correspondent that year. Over the following three decades, Chappel wrote weekly columns, accompanied by glamorous depictions of contemporary residential architecture, that stirred consumer aspirations for the good life of a modern family home.

The State Library of South Australia’s exhibition Lust for Lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950–1965 is the direct beneficiary of Chappel’s remarkable archive, accumulated over those 30 years – a trove of photographs and plans occupying 2.5 metres of archival storage that documents his own projects and those submitted by 97 architecture firms, most of them local, seeking coverage in his weekly reports.

Lovingly curated and meticulously researched by James Curry (School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Adelaide) and the State Library, the exhibition is a spectacular immersion into some of Adelaide’s finest modernist houses, and offers an insight into the lives of their well-heeled and socially mobile owners and the new breed of pace-setting architects.

In one of five short films that accompany the exhibition, James lays out his intent: “The exhibition is structured around an argument. It’s not just a list of buildings. We wanted to say more than ‘Adelaide had modern architecture as well.’”

The result is an eye-popping exploration of the ways that modern living was depicted during the era, inspiring many of Adelaide’s social elites to leave or demolish their traditional family home to commission or move into a modern, architect-designed home.

The display of homeowners who made that leap is a dazzling who’s who of mid-century Adelaide society, including the Michell wool family, interior design and furniture impresario Langdon Badger, pioneering lawyer Pam Cleland, intellectual Robert Clark, Austrian consul Tony Nelson, and speedway, jazz and art-collecting bon vivant Kym Bonython. The postwar confidence and

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optimism of this generation radiates through personal photographs of family occasions and holidays, their inclusion in the exhibition enriching the stylized blackand-white architectural photos that are as alluring as those of Wolfgang Sievers or Max Dupain.

Of the 15 houses profiled, several may be familiar to enthusiasts of this period: Langdon Badger’s house of 1957–58, designed by Badger with architectural drawings by Lawson, Cheesman, Doley and Partners (Unley Park’s answer to Philip Johnson’s Glass House), Robin Boyd’s 1956 Walkley House in North Adelaide and Peter Muller’s 1964 Michell House in Medindie.

But what makes this exhibition such a revelation are the homes created by Adelaide’s architects and landscape designers who have been largely lost to history, along with their buildings: Don Thompson, Dickson and Platten, Brian Vogt, E. Caradoc Ashton (later trading as Woodhead) and Chappel himself.

Concepts of access and accessibility, economy and excess, the house as a place for working, and living in the garden are all explored through the design of these houses and the stories of the people who lived in them.

There are some cracking anecdotes included, too: the time Kym Bonython knocked on the door of Günter Niggemann’s house in Tennyson (Lawson, Cheesman and Doley, 1953) and bought it on the spot, hours before Niggemann departed Australia by ship. The luxury car collection – comprising an Aston Martin, a Ferrari, a Lamborghini and a Mercedes – accessed via a concealed driveway at the Billam House in North Brighton (John Chappel, 1963–64). And the exclusive, strictly wordof-mouth visits to Pam Cleland and Fred Thonemann’s Waterfall Gully home and garden (Don Thompson/John Chappel, 1952–65) enjoyed by A-listers including the Rolling Stones, Liberace, Sir Robert Helpmann and Rudolf Nureyev.

Archival media clippings documenting these houses are also featured – highlighting the interdependence of the media and architects as advertisements of the new – alongside original floorplans, sketches, drawings and recent video interviews.

James Curry, the State Library and contributors such as the University of South Australia’s Architecture Museum have created one of Australia’s most compelling exhibitions of modernist architecture – one that should raise appreciation of, and help reduce the demolition or irreversible vandalism of, this vulnerable era of buildings.

Lust for Lifestyle: Modern Adelaide Homes 1950–1965 is on at the State Library of South Australia until 24 July 2022. slsa.sa.gov.au

03 House at Palmer Place, North Adelaide for Gavin Walkley

by Robin Boyd (1956; photograph taken in 1959 by IngersonArnold Studios).

04 House at Montacute for Robert Clark by John Chappel (1961).

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LUST FOR LIFESTYLE: MODERN ADELAIDE HOMES 1950–1965

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Furminger O N E T O W AT C H

Builder-turned-architect Chris Furminger’s architectural sensibility is grounded in his knowledge of the making process and a fascination with material experimentation.

Words by Sheona Thomson Photography by David Chatfield

In January 2020, when architect Christopher Furminger established his Brisbane practice, he was oblivious – as we all were – to the upheaval that lay ahead for the world.

Yet, despite the pandemic-driven challenges affecting the building industry, his innovative architecture has been making an impression.

Before training as an architect, Chris worked as a builder and carpenter on a range of projects in Brisbane and Ipswich, including modular housing for Hutchinsons Builders. As an architecture student at the University of Queensland, he continued to work as a builder, but realized that he needed more direct experience, which led to three years of working with Plazibat Architects.

Then, in 2017, John Ellway introduced Chris to James Russell, thinking their skill sets would go together well. At James Russell Architects (JRA), Chris contributed as a designer and builder, and JRA’s experimental approach to materials and construction methods became a touchstone for Chris, who used those formative experiences to refine his builder’s nous toward innovative and novel outcomes.

Chris registered as an architect while working at JRA. As he started taking on his own projects, establishing his practice was a natural progression. Around this time, Chris also won the Dulux DIAlogue on Tour scholarship to travel to Singapore and Portugal, which included the opportunity to experience the influential and elegant work of architects he had long admired, Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

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Chris does his early thinking through hand drawing and collage before moving to three-dimensional modelling. “Collage is my favourite medium,” he says.

“There is too much dogmatism about how a building should look.” As a concentrated representation of an idea rather than a realistic depiction, collage stretches the imagination toward possibilities, rather than settling with convention.

A beautifully evocative collage of River House expresses Chris’s fascination with imagining how a building can “lock into the landscape” almost like a future ruin: it’s a provocation to consider what would endure after other layers have faded away. “River House is that, in a nutshell. All you read is form and shadow.”

River House also shows Chris’s willingness to experiment with materials in both bold and restrained ways. “I like to have at least one inherent structural component as a keystone concept of a project,” he says.

Located in Chelmer, River House is an entirely surprising reframing of an existing dwelling, achieved through the orchestration of a new formal and material language. “We experimented with concrete tilt-up panels and commercial building materials and systems for the project,” Chris explains. The efficient material is used to significant effect, bringing a monumentality to the house in its context and setting up new journeys and landscape connections within the site.

FURMINGER

River House shows Chris’s willingness to experiment with materials in both bold and restrained ways.

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01 Brisbane-based architect Chris Furminger established his practice in 2020.

02 River House reworks an existing weatherboard house located in Chelmer.

03 Concrete tilt-up panels create a new entry sequence.

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Exploiting the tilt-up system, Chris incorporated plumbing into the concrete panels as part of the casting.

“This required a lot of coordination and shop drawings, but it was an inventive way to minimize trades on site,” he says.

“It’s just one efficient building material with no need for any applied finish apart from sealing. Taps and showerheads come directly out of the panels.”

Describing his practice as “10 percent builders and 90 percent architects,” Chris intended to take on one building project per year, although it’s tough to build right now, with COVID-induced shortages in material and labour supply consuming time and effort from everyone in the industry, from contractors and designers to clients.

One building project that is steadily progressing is his own home in the hilly inner suburb of Red Hill.

Named the Double North House, it comprises two lightweight buildings organized around a courtyard. Chris is experimenting with “structural windows,” combining hardwood mullions and fixed glass to interlock interior with exterior, drawing daylight and views into the dwelling.

While his knowledge and experience of materials and making enrich his architectural sensibility, Chris also expresses a great love of landscape. “We think the landscape is just as, if not more, important than the building. To live on that edge between outside and inside or spend time under a tree is better for me than being in a room.” furminger.co

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04 River House plays with scale, shifting from monumental facade to modest domestic rooms.

05 The practice explores the importance of the threshold between architecture and landscape.

FURMINGER

Finishing touches

Browse this hand-picked selection of furniture and homewares, from quirky melting mirrors to artisanal lights that cast shard-like reflections.

Find more residential products: selector.com and productnews.com.au

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01 Hinterland Stool Named for the Byron Bay Hinterland that inspired it, the Hinterland Stool finds a contemporary expression for a robust, country aesthetic. Distinctive legs with two profiles support a generously sized, sculpted timber seat. Designed by Daniel Boddam. danielboddam.com

03 Casa M for The Village Italian stone company Salvatori invited eight designers to create miniature buildings that explore their idea of home for a series called The Village. Casa M by Vincent Van Duysen is born out of appreciation for his own home in Portugal, “a temple where I feel at ease.” salvatoriofficial.com

02 SP01 Rugs Australian design brand SP01 has released its first collection of richly textured rugs. A variety of influences and hand-tufting techniques are combined with distinctive graphic forms. Four designs are available in four palettes, offering an appealing balance of unity and versatility. spacefurniture.com.au

04 Crackle Wall Light The distinctive look of crackled glass is used to dramatic effect in A Design Studio's Crackle Wall Light, which casts hypnotic light patterns as shard-light reflections. The design explores the tension between the fragility of glass and the robustness of its textured finish. adesignstudio.com.au

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PRODUCTS

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05 Cast Palladiana Cast Palladiana is a table collection designed

by Harley Hamilton. The weave pattern on the tabletop is made from Grigio Orsola stone cast in concrete (comprising 70 percent recycled material). The casting technique is inspired by, yet distinct from, terrazzo and palladiana. tigmitrading.com

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06 Spanish chair in walnut The celebrated Spanish Chair, originally designed in 1958 by Børge Mogensen, is now available in American walnut. The durability and dark tones of walnut complement the strong character and iconic appeal of the chair, ensuring its enduring appeal. fredericia.com

08 Circus pouf Designed by Simon Legald, the Circus pouf from Normann Copenhagen presents a classic yet quirky striped pattern that adds playful character to a space. The two wool textiles, in complementary tones, resemble the distinctive stripes of a circus tent. normann-copenhagen.com

07 Melt collection Designed by Bower Studios, the Melt mirrors appear to drape gracefully over wall-mounted wooden dowels. The meandering mirrors, in four different designs, give the sense of being made from a soft, flexible material instead of hard glass. Available from Living Edge. livingedge.com.au

09 Pearl Wall Sconce Melbourne pottery studio Robert Gordon has launched an interiors collection, which includes the handmade Pearl Wall Sconce. This light’s scalloped dish offers a quirky combination of modern, crafted clay and whimsical frills.

Made to order in Stone or Bone clay finishes. robertgordonaustralia.com

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FURNITURE AND HOMEWARES

10 Erskine sofa Part of Cosh Living’s Kett range by designer Justin Hutchinson, the Erskine sofa draws inspiration from the undulating topography and cascading water of the Victorian coastline.

The sofa offers understated elegance, generous cushioning and exceptional comfort. coshliving.com.au

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11 Kink vase The Kink vase, designed by Earnest Studio for Muuto, brings a contemporary form to the archetypal flower vase. A combination of traditional ceramic craftsmanship and playful design language makes the vase an art piece, even when not in use. muuto.com

13 Paradise Bird upholstered bed The airy metal structure of the Paradise Bird upholstered bed, designed by Luca Nichetto, evokes a birdcage-like form. The bedhead extends like wings to neatly enclose built-in bedside tables, which are available in marble or walnut, for a luxurious finishing touch. domo.com.au

12 Knock Out side tables The Knock Out side tables designed by Friends and Founders catch the eye with balanced, solid geometry. The tables can be placed solo or in clusters. The base is available in round, square or pyramid forms, and in white, black or green marble or travertine. fredinternational.com.au

14 Anatra sofa Showcasing a playful, intricate and sturdy weaving technique, the Anatra sofa was designed by Patricia Urquiola for Janus et Cie. The three-seater sofa, part of the Anatra outdoor furniture collection, balances lightness and durability to achieve ultimate comfort. janusetcie.com

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PRODUCTS

15 Forma rugs The result of a collaboration between Pampa and We Are Triibe, the Forma rug collection pays tribute to craftsmanship and natural materials. It features geometric patterns with soft edges, imperfect squares and rectangles, and the interplay of light and deep earthy tones. pampa.com.au

Materially Different

Timber surfaces for award-winning spaces Timber Veneer Alpi Xilo 2-Flamed White (Alpi Designer Collections) by Elton Group Project Alamer by Lowe Living . Interiors Fiona Lynch . Photographer Dave Kulesza

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NOOSA HEADS HOUSE

BY VO K E S AN D P E T E R S

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In Noosa Heads, a tired suburban house is resourcefully remade into a robust but welcoming retreat that emphasizes the simple pleasures of a holiday home by the coast.

Words by Dirk Yates Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

Built during a period of national self-reflection, as Australia marked 200 years since the start of colonization, the existing house on this site in Noosa Heads is representative of popular suburban housing of the 1980s – complete with faux colonial details of finials decorating a multi-gabled roof, ornate balusters, and planning moves made by the flip of a 45-degree set square. The design appears caught between making a conservative nod to traditional building forms and an aspirational stride toward a uniquely Australian style of contemporary building. Thankfully, the architecture practice engaged for the renovation, Vokes and Peters, didn’t bother to get bogged down in this sentimental stylistic play from four decades ago. Instead, Vokes and Peters accepted what was working well with the pragmatics of the house, discarded the elements that were trivial, and revelled in its implied technical constraints and spatial opportunities.

The cross-section of the house, with half-level transitions between the main living space and the bedrooms above and below it, provided Vokes and Peters with a cue to latent spatial qualities that had been muddled with the details and affectations of another era. The Raumplan, a design principle of modernist Viennese architect Adolf Loos, is an alternate historical precedent that inspired the renovation. The Raumplan favours the organization of rooms as volumes rather than through two-dimensional plans and sections, and this concept has shaped the interior reworking of the house. Instead of focusing on how the house might signal a message of quaint domesticity to passers-by, Vokes and Peters directed its attention to the experiences of shared holidays and social occasions.

In emphasizing the informalities of a holiday house, where groups of people enjoy relaxing in each other’s company, the new design has unravelled the pretensions of the suburban house. Walking through the front door, you arrive in the kitchen, which functions as the primary room of the house.

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NOOSA HEADS HOUSE

Noosa Heads House is built on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi people.

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Alteration + addition

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With a dining table and small sitting area, it works particularly well in welcoming and supporting most social activities. A variety of interconnected rooms make it possible for guests to retire from togetherness while remaining connected. Thick storage walls separate the main room from the rest of the house, and are punctured by discrete and evocatively performative openings that link the upper and lower living areas, allowing activities or conversations that seemed far-off to be glimpsed or overheard.

The existing plasterboard interior shell is largely intact, except for centrally located areas of clear-sealed plywood joinery and linings.

The colouration and visual texture of the plywood, riffing with those of the existing timber floors, provide a welcome sensuousness to the rooms. A simple bird’s mouth detail, where box sections of plywood joinery meet, offers one of the few gestures of craft in lieu of the previous tawdry embellishments.

The refurbishment to the front of the house isn’t inspired by cricket, although the screen that wraps the front of the house functions in a similar way to the structures that you find at a cricket ground. Like a cricket sightscreen, in both material and purpose, this white timber-batten structure is constructed in front of, and obscures, the existing brick-veneer and gabled building. Rather than enhancing the appearance of a red-leather ball in a field of play, Vokes and Peters’s screen visually and climatically shields the house. Facing west, the screen contains a comfortable set of spaces to reside in, moderating the western sun and creating privacy to the street while also improving the comfort and ambience of the existing rooms behind.

To stretch the cricketing metaphor a little further, the house demonstrates a physical and conceptual likeness to the scoreboard. Rather than treating the project as a knock-down and rebuild, Vokes and Peters acknowledged that the existing house already had “runs on the board” (my words, not theirs). And like a traditional cricket scoreboard, where you could see people inside changing out the numbers while also watching the game through vacant panels, the new screen has framed openings where people can be seen occupying the novel structure and gazing out to the view beyond.

Noosa Heads House is relatively big by holiday house standards, but has a modest quality to it. Through the simplicity of the chosen building materials and the effort to simply improve what was already there, it expresses an old-fashioned ethic of “making do,” albeit in a sophisticated manner.

There is also an awkwardness in this ethic, but rather than being regrettable, it is curiously charming. As you approach the side of the house from the street, the existing gables poke into view from behind the screen, offering a welcome but unexpected quirk that is common to the informal and hodgepodge aesthetic of many holiday houses. Like the shelves within the house, the renovated house is a sort of repository for collecting stuff of interest and for holiday entertainment. And, as Vokes and Peters would have it, a thoroughly enjoyable place to enjoy Cokes and pizzas.

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ALTERATION + ADDITION

Site 530 m² Floor 242 m²

Design 10 m Build 12 m

Products Roofing: Zincalume steel flashing External walls: Existing brickwork; hardwood screen in Dulux ‘Whisper White’ Interna walls: Hoop pine sheets Internal

by Austral Plywood in satin polyurethane finish; Bianco Gloss ceramic tiles from The Tile Mob Windows: Aluminium frames

by AWS in clear anodized finish Flooring: Satin polyurethane finish on existing tongue-andgroove hardwood; Bianco Gloss ceramic tiles from The Tile Mob Lighting: Battens and pendants

by Clipsal in ‘Black’ Kitchen: Integrated stainless steel Sonetto sink by Oliveri; Brodware tapware in polished chrome finish Bathroom: Stirling bath and Liano toilet by Caroma; Catalano basin from Rogerseller; Brodware tapware in polished chrome finish

01 The project reworks a 1980s house, transforming the appearance of the existing brickveneer structure.

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02 The reworking has capitalized on level changes in the existing plan.

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03 A central section of plywood joinery and linings adds tactility.

04 Openings in the walls provide visual and aural links between rooms.

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Lower floor 1:400

NOOSA HEADS HOUSE

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NOOSA HEADS HOUSE

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05 A screen of vertical timber battens visually and climatically shields the existing house.

06 The screen frames views out, and offers passersby glimpses of activity on the deck.

07 Benchseats encourage an informal occupation of the deck.

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Architect Vokes and Peters +61 7 3846 2044 mail@vokesandpeters.com vokesandpeters.com

ALTERATION + ADDITION

Project team Stuart Vokes, Aaron Peters, Greg Clarke, Emma Robinson Builder Love 2 Build Structural engineers SCG Consulting Engineers (stage 1), Westera Partners (stage 2)

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PA LM E T T E

BY SUM

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1 Verandah 2 Bedroom 3 Main bedroom 4 Laundry 5 Deck

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PALMETTE

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Ornate Victorian-era scroll motifs give way to folded planes of Victorian ash in this Carlton home, where the decision to have fewer bedrooms has contributed to a spacious, calm environment for living.

Words by Tobias Horrocks Photography by Thurston Empson

Architecture practice Sum named this project Palmette to represent how the renovation and addition unfurls from small and enclosed to expansive and light. The palmette, a decorative motif of stylized palm leaves, features in the interior of the original home – an 1885 terrace house in Melbourne’s Carlton – but Sum has not referred to it literally. Rather, the forms that extend into and expand out from the original front section are angular, abstract and minimal, not organic. Yet like the palmette, the design draws our attention to nature.

The spaces of the renovated home unfold at the top of the stairs, where a timber-lined cocoon channels views towards a panorama of green: a borrowed landscape dominated by the neighbours’ stand of silver birch trees. The drama is magnified by the fact that the floor stops a metre short of the windows, extending the field of vision down to the garden at ground level. The void between floor and window is covered only by an open-weave “hammock” at floor level rather than a balustrade, heightening the feeling of openness and spatial flow.

HOUSES 146

As with many renovations to nineteenthcentury terraced houses, the primary design drivers were to create a feeling of spaciousness and to provide ample natural light. “The idea was to have fewer but larger spaces, getting the biggest possible living space that could fit into it. The clients didn’t want to squeeze in four bedrooms,” says Finn Warnock, director of Sum. The first move was to lift the living spaces up, locating them on the first floor. Cutting the existing roof off at its apex, Sum introduced a gap between old and new rooflines, and provided a terrace next to the kitchen.

The hammock-covered void at the western end of the living room gives light to the lower level and makes the main bedroom a partially double-height space. A timberlined box on the ground floor hides the bathroom and powder room in the darkest part of the house. Walls are omitted where possible, resulting in liberating moments such as the freestanding bath, which is placed next to the bed in the main bedroom to offer the bather views of the garden. The back garden is small but verdant.

Soon, its boundary walls will be covered in ficus

ALTERATION + ADDITION

01 On the first floor, an open-weave hammock between floor and window heightens the feeling of openness.

02 A herb garden and kaffir lime tree grow on the terrace, within reach of the kitchen.

03 The upper level is a timber-lined cocoon, channelling views to a panorama of green.

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Palmette is built on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

3 Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + addition

3

+ 1 powder room

Family

climbing vines. Instead of using expensive brickwork, Sum formed these external walls from off-the-shelf concrete sleepers that are normally used in retaining walls, and stood them up vertically, embedded in a concrete footing. The same sleepers are used in lieu of decking outside the bedroom. If the neighbours ever decide to chop down the silver birches, the clients’ own trees will have grown to take their place.

Finn and practice co-director Jaslyne Gan have responded to the spatial and regulatory limitations of the site with ingenuity. Regulations regarding overlooking from the first floor were overcome by the use of the netted void, which ensures you stand back from the windows and thereby blinkers sideways views. The first-floor roofline broke the council’s heritage setback rules yet was ultimately approved on the basis that it would be invisible from the street. Storage is cleverly concealed within the existing roof space, accessed via the terrace, while a rainwater tank is hidden beneath the tiled verandah at the front of the house.

The material palette is minimal, and the interior is dominated by sustainably sourced timber.

Victorian ash is used as structural framing and on the floors, stairs and benchtops, and wall and ceiling linings are in smoked oak. The edge detail of the stair treads is repeated on the island bench, and a customdesigned timber bracket, jewellery-like in its attention to detail, handles the transition from benchtop to table legs. Plate steel provides a visual counterpoint, stained with a black patina finish. The bespoke linear pendant that runs the length of the living area was made from long flats of aluminium attached with industrialstrength double-sided tape normally used in the curtain walls of office buildings. It, too, is stained with a corrosion-look patina. Sum’s interest in fabrication and file-to-factory systems is evident in the design of a set of three small tables, made from laser-cut steel.

Palmette was something of a personal project, designed for Jaslyne’s sister and her family, and subtle allusions to the family’s Chinese Malay heritage can be found in certain elements of the house, such as the materiality of the terrace and the immediate connection forged between the main bedroom and the garden.

The home is shaped by a suite of clever solutions to a challenging site, and the design’s emphasis on rich spatial experiences, rather than a preoccupation with creating more rooms, has resulted in a cocooning home that draws light in as it simultaneously draws our attention out, to nature.

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1 Site 110 m² Floor 160 m²

Design 12 m Build 18 m

Per m² $6,000

Products Roofing: Klip-lok by Lysaght in Colourbond ‘Monument’ External walls: Shiplap cladding

by Ezylite; Weathershield paint

by Dulux in ‘Monument’; Victorian Ash battens by Provans in Cutek Extreme CD50 finish Internal walls: Engineered boards by Woodcut in ‘White Smoked’ stain by Feast Watson in ‘Black Japan’; plasterboard by Gyprock in Dulux ‘Natural White’; steel patina by Sculpt Nouveau in ‘Black Magic’ Windows: Soltech glass from Viridian with low-E coating; Victorian Ash from APS Joinery in Cutek Extreme CD50 finish Doors: Internal doors from Hume Doors; Gio Ponti door lever from Olivari in ‘Brushed Stainless Steel’; Victorian Ash from APS Joinery in Cutek Extreme CD50 finish; custom joinery pulls in ‘Matt Black’ Flooring: Engineered boards from Woodcut in ‘White Smoked’; Victorian Ash F17 beams from Provans Lighting: LED strip from ESA Lighting; Lampe De Marseille

by Le Corbusier from Cult Kitchen: Oven and hob by Asko; rangehood by Qasair; tap and mixer from Rogerseller in ‘Titanium’; integrated refrigerator by Bosch; joinery hardware by Häfele; joinery veneer doors by Armourpanel and Big River; benchtop by Dekton in ‘Sirius’; splashback mirror by Glass Link in ‘Bronze Mirrorbar’ Bathroom: Mixers, showers and towel rails from Rogerseller in ‘Chrome’; Dupont Corian surfaces in ‘White’; mirrors by Glass Link in ‘Silver’; tiles by Signorino Heating and cooling: Fireplace by Escea; heating panels by Nobo External elements: Concrete planks by Latrobe Valley Precast; merbau decking by Provans in Cutek Extreme CD50 finish Other: Custom coffee and side tables by Sum

PALMETTE

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04 Framed in Victorian ash, the fully glazed western facade is angular, abstract and minimal.

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05 Japanese-inspired black floors create a contemplative atmosphere in the main bedroom, and focus attention on the garden.

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Architect Sum +61 433 336 953 finn@sum.space sum.space

PALMETTE

Project team Finn Warnock, Jaslyne Gan Builder Syltra Engineer Efficiency

by Design

O HOUSE BY MARSTON ARCHITECTS

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In beachside Manly, the dual challenges of a sloping site and an unsympathetic connection to the garden are unpicked and thoughtfully resolved in a now-unified home that elevates everyday domesticity.

Words by Penny Craswell Photography by Simon Whitbread

The adaptation of old housing stock is a common challenge presented to residential architects, who are tasked with rectifying the failings of outdated buildings and poorly planned additions. “People keep extending and extending until you get what I call a ‘fat house’ with no light and no ventilation,” says the director of Marston Architects, Vivianne Marston. In the case of O House, Vivianne and her team have adapted a squat brick box in the Sydney suburb of Manly – formerly housing two duplexes, and unsympathetically extended over the years – into a light and bright residential home that effortlessly flows up a sloped site from front to back.

The first step in the new design was to remove the existing extension and a retaining wall, and to demolish the garage, which was inefficiently located in the middle of the raised rear yard. Another complication was the level change from the street at the front of the house to the backyard and rear lane, four metres higher than the front. The solution was to create a new, raised addition at the back of the house on the southern side, leaving the northern side for gardens, including a courtyard at the lower level that connects to the dining room in the old house, and a pool and vegetable patch up the stairs at the back.

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O HOUSE

01 A common-sense new layout, which includes centrally located kitchen and dining zones, brings the family together.

Artwork: Mark Cross.

O House is built on the land of the Guringai people of the Eora nation.

4 Sydney, NSW

Alteration + addition

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The finished house is a study in flow – with the existing living space in the old part of the house seamlessly shifting into the new extension through the ground-floor kitchen/dining space, then leading to a lower room at the back for a cellar and storage, and upstairs to an extra rumpus room and garage behind. “It was a brave decision to demolish the old garage, but in the past, to access it you had to circulate through this very narrow corridor up the stairs, which was quite hopeless,” says Vivianne. The first floor of the extension can now be accessed via internal stairs or external brick stairs in the garden.

While the circulation is seamless, the extension deliberately contrasts with the original house architecturally. Where the old house has a pitched roof and smaller windows, the new extension has a flat roof and larger windows and sliding doors. The materials are also different. Where the original house has horizontal white brick with white timber-framed windows, the new extension features a dark vertical-joint timber cladding and dark bronze anodized aluminium windows. “The linking elements are the same, but these major elements are very different,” explains Vivianne. “Because the brickwork on the main house goes horizontally, it was very intentional to go vertically.”

In the old part of the house, original features such as decorative plasterwork were retained where possible, while other things had to go, such as the leaking terracotta tile roof, which is now metal. A sense of history has also been retained with the furniture, which includes several mid-century timber sideboards, two of which have been converted into vanities in the bathrooms. At the front of the house, new bay windows in the sun room and guest bedroom on the ground floor retain the character of the 1930s style of the home, but have been sized up. “Originally the technology didn’t exist to have such large panes of glass,” says Vivianne. “Our idea was to combine the contemporary ability to have uninterrupted views but pick up on some of the original detailing as well.”

The architects closely worked with the client and the builder, Synergy One Building, on the project, with the rooftop garden above the dining room being one of the most complicated aspects of the build. The garden had to be carefully designed and constructed so as to be watertight – luckily, the builders had experience working on this kind of structure before. Here, every detail has been taken into consideration – the roof with trailing planters slightly juts out over the dining room, softening the edge of the building and creating a sense that there is greenery cascading down from above.

The house is connected to gardens as much as possible. Large windows at the front look out to the front yard, while the dining room opens up for an expansive connection to the courtyard. In the rear addition, the rumpus room spills onto the top yard with a vegetable patch and pool behind it.

With a neutral colour scheme and common-sense layout, what stands out in this project is its liveability, something that Vivianne has developed a knack for creating in her nearly 40 years of practice. “I would hope that our work is not creating masterpieces that people don’t feel comfortable living in,” she says. “I’m really delighted when I come here and [the client] has her art happening in one corner and music happening in another corner and gardening happening outside. To me that shows that the house is being used.”

HOUSES 146

ALTERATION + ADDITION

3 Site 435 m² Floor 240 m²

Design 12 m Build 15 m

Per m² $5,800

Products Roofing: Custom Orb roofing and Kliplok decking by Lysaght in Colorbond ‘Monument’ External walls: James Hardie Axon cladding (smooth) in Resene ‘Nocturnal’; existing brickwork and shingles finished with Resene in ‘Foggy Grey’ (quarter strength) Internal walls: Dulux paint in ‘Terrace White’ Windows: Timber windows

by Artarmon Joinery in Dulux ‘Alabaster’; glazing by Narrowline Glass; aluminium windows by Award Architectural Aluminium in bronze anodized finish Doors: Solid-core doors from Hardware and General; sliding door by Artarmon Joinery; pivot front door by Cedar West and handle by Custom Spaces; custom refrigerator door handle

by Custom Spaces; all other knobs Reeded Mortice by Tradco Flooring: Tongue-and-groove European Oak installed by D And D Flooring in matt Bona Traffic finish; Ming large mosaic hexagons from Evotiles; Luxe Tone carpet from Carpet Court in ‘Tanzanite’ Lighting: Tovo downlights; Light In The Box statement lights Kitchen: Franke oven and tap; AEG induction hob; Asko gas burner; Qasair extractor fan; Oliveri sink; Fisher and Paykel dishwasher and refrigerator; Arc Hydrotap by Zip; Castillo Grigio marble benchtop by RMS Traders Bathroom: City Plus tapware

by Brodware; vanities from repurposed Noblett sideboards Heating and cooling: Daikin HVAC External elements: Bowral Simmental Silver terrace and stair pavers from Austral Bricks; marble for pool coping, pathways and courtyard from Ela Stone Other: American oak interior stairs by Custom Spaces; internal and external steel balustrades

by Vision Balustrades

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O HOUSE

Entry Guest bedroom Sun room Living Kitchen Dining Study Cellar Bedroom Rumpus Laundry Garage Pool area

02 Additions are materially and formally distinct from the existing house.

03 A green roof disguises the sloped site and improves the house’s connection to outdoor spaces.

04 The dining pavilion spills onto a north-facing deck.

Artwork: Mark Cross.

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05 Despite the level change across the site, spaces now purposefully flow from old to new.

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Architect Marston Architects +61 2 9977 2101 mail@marstonarchitects.com.au marstonarchitects.com.au

5m

Project team Vivianne Marston, Pip Marston, Pouwel Wind, Matthew Argent Builder Synergy One Building Quantity surveyor QS Plus Engineer Benvenuti S. C. Pool and site planning Marston Architects Pool construction Poolform Constructions Joinery, stairs and custom furniture Brett Columbus, Custom Spaces Lighting Tovo Lighting

O HOUSE

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Dean Norton

Pursuing a minimalist approach underpinned by strong graphic expression, Melbourne designer Dean Norton explores the creative tension between art and design.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER

Words by Rebecca Gross

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Dean Norton established his eponymous studio with the desire to have freedom in his design work. To have full creative expression and control, to design functional pieces that are artistic statements and stories, and to not be limited by a client brief or budget.

British-born and Melbourne-based, Dean studied graphic design and interior design at the University of the Arts London, after which he worked on retail and commercial projects, including custom furniture and fixtures for high-end clients. “I loved designing custom pieces because we didn’t have a limited budget and the brief was to stand out, so I could express myself creatively,” he says. He decided furniture design provided the creative freedom he was seeking and launched his own studio in 2017, debuting the Moodlum collection in 2018. “The idea of Moodlum was for each piece to merge with a space and complement the room’s style and atmosphere,” Dean says.

Moodlum established a minimalist language that is consistent throughout Dean’s work: well-resolved geometric shapes, continuous curves and no visible fixings.

With this foundation, Dean focuses on form and experiments with materials, before considering construction and production. “It’s more freeing, because I’m not limiting myself creatively with the complexities of construction,” he explains.

The original Mood tables are powdercoated in white or black, with a tabletop in smoke-grey mirror or back-painted frosted glass. He has since expanded the range of finishes, imbuing the minimalist table and its environment with a different aesthetic, feeling and effect.

The Mood coffee and side tables in zinc, for example, reflect the colours and tones of their surroundings, while the wood and resin finish emphasizes the table’s natural timber grain.

Dean also develops custom pieces and finishes for interior design commissions, including a chrome side table for Aesop’s Karrinyup store.

Dean has designed several pieces as thematic responses to exhibitions, and emotive reactions to Melbourne lockdowns. Containa explores confinement and protection, featuring a wood-turned form encased within a frosted glass shell, while Daylight is a light therapy lamp intended to boost wellbeing and creative energy. He entered Daylight and the Float glass tables into the VIVID 2021 Emerging Designer Awards, for which he won the Judges’ Choice Award.

The National Gallery of Victoria’s acquisition of Dean’s graphic illusion Concave Convex Mirror in 2021 affirms his approach to design and creative expression: “[Having my design] in an art gallery is a dream come true as I see my work as artistic statements. They are creative pieces and I want them to have an ongoing creative story.” deannorton.com.au

DEAN NORTON

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01 Industrial designer Dean Norton makes artistic statements through his work.

02 Designed during lockdown, Daylight is intended to boost wellbeing by mimicking sunlight.

03 The Concave Convex mirror explores the perception of form.

04 A zinc finish elevates the minimalist language of Moodlum.

05 In Containa, a solid form appears to float inside a frosted-glass shell.

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STUDIO

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Relatively Useful

Displayed at Heide Museum of Modern Art, this exhibition of furniture and objects designed by John Wardle and Simon Lloyd and made by 29 craftspeople explored the “gradients of collaboration” between designer and maker.

Words by Nicci Dodanwela Photography by Pier Carthew

EXHIBITION

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01 The ceramic Systems Vases, designed by John Wardle and Simon Lloyd.

02 A Low Table for a Rug, designed by John Wardle and made

by Adam Browning.

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Simon Lloyd arrived early one morning at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to begin setting up Relatively Useful. Met by one of the gardeners, who was raking the path, he realized just how well-suited the museum was to the exhibition. “It’s the small details that make all the difference,” he says of the building, originally the home of John and Sunday Reed and designed in 1965 by McGlashan and Everist.

Relatively Useful is a celebration of details, of the relationship between designer and maker, and of enduring materials. Exhibited during Melbourne Design Week 2022, the collection of 30 pieces in timber, steel and ceramic is a partnership between Simon, a craftsperson and teacher at the School of Design and Architecture at Swinburne, and Australian architect John Wardle. Despite their different ways of working – the “rapid-fire” of John’s ideas versus Simon’s meditative approach – the pair have collaborated for more than 25 years. The complex prototype of the Systems Vases (2017–22) was the genesis of the project that evolved into Relatively Useful, when Simon turned out to be the only ceramicist who could make John’s design. The project became highly collaborative: “I allowed Simon leeway in his interpretation, and he let me roughly sketch over his fine drafting – all with good grace and great humour,” says John.

Crafted by 29 emerging and established makers from Victoria and Tasmania, the objects represent what Simon and John describe as “gradients of collaboration.”

Many seem to have begun with a conversation. I am captivated by A Low Table for a Rug (2022), designed by John and made by Adam Browning, featuring a tabletop adorned with Japanese finger tiles from Inax. Like many of the pieces, the table is made from Hydrowood, redeemed from a forest on Tasmania’s west coast that was flooded for a dam. Signs on the walls ask visitors not to touch the objects, but some can’t help themselves, reaching out surreptitiously to stroke the butteriness of the timber’s pristine grain.

Architects, says John, are taught about the imperative of functionality. But “the theatricality of human existence plays another part, beyond usefulness alone.”

And so, In Clover: A Dining Table (2022), designed by John and made by Bryan Cush, has half a clover leaf cut into its end that “serves absolutely no purpose” beyond beauty.

Simon’s Red Oxide Dish (2010–11), with its two open ends, is in fact an “un-dish,” with buttress-like ribs, rather than sides, to contain objects. And John’s Breakfast in Bed Tray

EXHIBITION

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(2010), made by Scott Mason and Keith McKay, has space for not only a book and a boiled egg but also a freshly cut flower. Each member of John’s architecture practice received a tray as a Christmas gift one year.

The designer–maker relationship is the subject of Simon’s recently completed PhD. It’s one thing to design an object, he says, but quite another to make it. The two separate processes need to engage in dialogue, and it’s the skill and knowledge of the makers that enable this complex partnership to evolve. After “30 years in the thinking,” the prototype for Simon’s ash and plywood Stool (2019–22), made by John Cherrey and Mathy Fuller, has finally been brought into being with the help of digital technology.

It represents another theme of the exhibition – the links between traditional crafts and modern technologies.

At the exhibition opening, John, who conceded he has “made a career out of pushing people into difficult situations” in his desire to make things both functional and nurturing of human sociability, simultaneously thanked and apologized to the makers. But the makers milling around looked far from worn down. They are quietly proud of their own pieces and appreciative of each other’s works.

A collegiate community, they have been drawn out from

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behind the scenes by Relatively Useful, their ability to bring these inventive designs to life revealed and celebrated.

Underlying all of the pieces is a sense of great care, and of respect for enduring materials and sustainable processes. Made from timber offcuts from the larger items of furniture in the exhibition, which are themselves crafted from salvaged wood, several pairs of Pepper and Salt grinders (2022), designed by John and made by Josh Stevens, jostle companionably in a corner. Simon’s brass Water Pitcher (2019–20), with a distinctive ring-pull-like handle, is silver- and gold-plated and was added to Cleto Munari’s silver collection in Vicenza, Italy. Simon remarks that the prototype evolved over a few months, with the skills of the maker, Wayne Guest, instrumental in finding the final resolution.

I leave the gallery with a new appreciation for the work of dedicated local craftspeople, an optimism about the possibilities when traditional practices and sustainable materials are used in conjunction with developing technologies, and a deep desire for breakfast in bed – with a beautifully detailed timber tray.

Relatively Useful was on at Heide Museum of Modern Art from 12 March until 3 April 2022. heide.com.au

RELATIVELY USEFUL

03 Simon Lloyd’s Red Oxide Dish, cast by the Dandenong Iron Foundry.

04 Breakfast in Bed Tray, designed by John Wardle and made by Scott Mason and Keith McKay. 05 Exhibition display, showing the Systems Vases and the Pi R2 table, made from Hydrowood by Andrew Lowe and Fraser Mathewson, and designed by John Wardle.

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Sugar Gum House

by Rob Kennon Architects FIRST HOUSE

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Tasked with replacing a tumbledown but treasured Otways beach shack where he had spent his own childhood summers, Rob Kennon aspired for an efficient and elemental home that framed the rugged landscape. Twelve years on, Rob reflects on how this formative first project shaped his practice.

Words by Rob Kennon Photography by Derek Swalwell, Rob Kennon

SUGAR GUM HOUSE

01

In 1974 my parents saw a tiny, two-line ad in the paper for an Otways farm with an old timber shack that seemed to be built without nails. They were immediately drawn to the rugged coastline and backdrop of rolling hills, so they purchased it and our family spent summers and winters over the next three decades travelling down to that shack.

Holidays revolved around kids’ sleepouts, a cattleman’s-hut-style fireplace and a tin-roofed verandah that looked out over Bass Strait. The Otways region is a windy, rainy and exposed part of Victoria, and after 35 years in that weatherboard shack, we got to know the weather well.

We embraced the rural lifestyle. Holidays at the farm were never about the house; the landscape and the elements were our impression of the place, and this was something that we all treasured. When the shack was replaced by Sugar Gum House in 2009, I hoped that this wouldn’t change.

Sugar Gum House was designed to be a background building – simple, recessive and belonging to the landscape.

The plan is organized around a three-metre grid and split in to two pavilions, one for sleeping and one for living.

This seemed to me the most efficient and flexible way to accommodate a growing family and a constant stream of visitors. The grid is expressed through windows and verandah posts that provide a sense of rhythm through which to read the disorder of the natural landscape.

As it was my first house, I wasn’t designing off the back of other projects. I came at it from a functional perspective and designed the house around the elements.

Each pavilion stretches out over the site contours and is propped up off the ground to allow rainwater to flow beneath. Floorplates were designed to be shallow and separated from each other for cross ventilation. The roofline was pitched to allow the ingress of winter sun and to provide shade during summer months, extending out on either side to form an eave to the decking areas. The pavilions slide along the slope in opposite directions, creating a protected deck to the north and a viewing deck to the south – each decision a direct response to the site.

Looking back on the project, I realize how fortunate it was that I aspired for an uncomplicated building because, at that early stage in my career, it was perhaps all that I could manage. I didn’t have the experience to do something experimental and preferred the safer option: keep it simple and cover the basics. I quickly learned that working with grids, steel and modular elements is a precise and complex exercise, and what an undertaking I was faced with in delivering this building. The tectonics of building became the focus of the project, and still to this day it’s what our practice is most interested in.

There is so much expression to be found in just dealing with the building itself: the composition, the coordination and the detailing of building elements. The expression of Sugar Gum House is completely derived from

01 A modular steel structure is split into two pavilions, offering shelter on an exposed coastal site.

Photograph: Derek Swalwell.

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FIRST HOUSE

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these things, and in a way articulates the primary concerns of architecture – providing shelter and protection from which to enjoy the environment. In this sense, it’s a house that is not about the house but instead about the weather, the views and the natural landscape. It’s a quiet building that is designed to last.

In reflecting on all of this, I can draw parallels between the ideas in this house and other, later projects – though it’s not something I was conscious of at the time.

Bluff House in Flinders and Goulburn Valley House are two examples of similarly regional houses that share the same principles of Sugar Gum House in their relationship to the site. Each house is intentionally low lying, either embedded within or floating just above the ground plane to avoid dominating the landscape in their perceived sense of scale.

Like that of Sugar Gum House, their language is derived from repeated structural components, an intentionally elemental aesthetic that recedes into the surrounding environment.

Materials always relate to their context, creating a feeling of belonging – as if the building might have always been there, or perhaps always will be.

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Photograph: Derek Swalwell.

03 At the entry, a shaded deck is shielded from ocean winds, yet enjoys ocean views.

Photograph: Rob Kennon.

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Architect Rob Kennon Architects +61 3 9015 8621 mail@robkennon.com robkennon.com

FIRST HOUSE

Project team Rob Kennon Builder Brendan Murnane Engineer Yttrup

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BRIDGE HOUSE

BY KISTER ARCHITECTS

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In Melbourne’s Caulfield, a confident and considered renovation responds to a home’s distinctive 1970s heritage, creating a harmonious family residence that pays tribute to the past while setting the stage for modern life.

Words by Marcus Baumgart Photography by Peter Bennetts

When perusing images of the Bridge House by Kister Architects, the casual observer might be tempted to think that they were looking at photographs of a Very Big House. The reality is somewhat different, but the cause of the misperception is straightforward – and intentional. The facade of the house has been extended sideways with an expansive, curving, monumental gesture that inherently creates the illusion of immense size. The result is theatrical, a performative presence in the streetscape, and ever-so-slightly heroic.

The source of this curvaceous gesture comes from a studied response to the original house. Two bays of concave curves, up and down, defined the original facade. This was a delightful modernist motif that was conceived, back in the day, as more two-dimensional than three, in that peculiarly Australian way. These two original curved bays have been stripped back and joined by a stretched third bay, one that extends to a curve in plan, wrapping around the single-level main bedroom to the south.

But perhaps, given the visual strength of the gestural facade, I am getting ahead of myself in my description of this curious house. In the simplest terms, this project has taken a 1970s house on a single lot in Melbourne’s Caulfield and renovated it and extended it south over an annexed adjacent lot, after the removal of the neighbouring house. By staying put and growing their house sideways, a young family has been allowed to inhabit a lush playground, enveloped by a delightful garden that forms a suburban oasis.

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01 The social spaces of the house unfurl from the main entry.

Artworks (L–R): M. Kusamoto, Laurence Cummin.

Bridge House is built on the land of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples.

4 Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + addition

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Many aspects of the finished project contain details that are influenced by the original home. Distinctly 1970s-inspired glazing panels flank the front door, a reinterpretation of original features that were accidentally damaged during the build. Timber ceilings and wall panelling bridge the gap between 1970 and the 2020s, and bespoke joinery and a sunken lounge also hint at the house’s genesis.

In terms of the components of the plan, the heart of the house is a dining-slash-social-gathering room and open kitchen that is large enough to host up to 40 guests. This room is connected directly to the garden, and its inclusion reveals the owners’ commitment to extended family hospitality, a social generosity that infuses the house. Throughout, rooms flow easily into each other, embodying the natural and comforting chaos that is so typical of family life.

“Flow” is an apt word to describe the sequence of rooms in Bridge House. An organic sense of connectivity links the different elements of the plan. The house is comprised of defined, connected rooms rather than a conglomeration of more abstract “spaces.” The family room, the staunchly 1970s sunken living room and the open kitchen are joined by various service spaces for the many functions of a busy family’s life.

Bedrooms are found in two locations. Children and guests are upstairs, in the original house. The planning of the first floor is straightforward, and a broad, carpeted, rebuilt stair connects the ground floor to the upper level from the middle of the plan.

The parents’ bedroom has its own wing, behind the broad facade curve in a new pavilion to the south. The depth of this new curve allows the parents’ pavilion to be simultaneously open to the garden and sun-drenched, while also being private and largely shielded from the scrutiny of neighbours’ first-floor windows. Once again, within the parents’ wing, the garden is ever-present.

The landscape is notable in that it is a perfect complement to the period leanings of the project. This is the skilful work of Melbourne landscape architecture studio Acre. The garden, which seems to be a more appropriate descriptor than the more abstract term “landscape,” is a rich, sensory and stimulating children’s playground, with features for relaxing adults thrown in for good measure. A very stylish and architectural pool, designed by Acre, completes the range of amenities on offer.

Despite the visual anchorage of its 1970s origins and the playful nature of the original two-dimensional curves, this house by Kister Architects is hard to pin down, in a good way. A lot is going on overall, but the result in any given view is harmonious, and well complemented by a skilfully designed garden.

The period piece has been embraced, well handled, and kept firmly in its place; the result is 2020s through and through, even while nodding to the past.

Confronted with such a distinctive home, a less subtle designer could have resorted to mimicry, which, if unchecked, could have descended into kitsch. The fact that this did not happen is a testament to practice director Ilana Kister and her team. Perhaps most importantly, the house is loved by its occupants, and thoroughly “lived in,” in every sense.

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ALTERATION + ADDITION

3 + 1 powder room

Site 1,340 m² Floor 375 m²

Design 12 m Build 13 m

Products Roofing: Lysaght Klip-lok cladding panels in ‘Black’ External walls: V-joint silvertop ash from Radial Timber; Woca Wood Lye treatment; MAC Suede cement-based finish Internal walls: Ventech timber veneer; Melbourne Oak Floors timber ceiling linings in ‘Pepper Grey’; MAC Suede cement-based finish Windows: AWS windows in Dulux Electro Powdercoat ‘Dark Bronze’; Creative Windows powdercoated aluminium sashless and sliding windows; slumped glass by Toucan Forged Glass in ‘Bronze’ Doors: Ceam concealed hinges and Olivari hardware in ‘Bronze’ from Bellevue Architectural Flooring: Fyber DEA carpet in ‘Blue’; Godfrey Hirst Aroha carpet from Don Currie Carpets; white concrete Lighting: Vitosi Jube 1 from Mondoluce; In Common With Up Down sconce; And Tradition Journey lamp; Brightgreen surface lights from About Space; Masson For Light Pingo from Beacon Kitchen: Franke sink; Sirius rangehood; Miele dishwasher; Ilve ovens and cooktop Bathroom: Caesarstone benchtop; tapware from Rogerseller; tiles from Artedomus, Byzantine Design and Tile Fusion; Ventech veneers; Laminex laminate External elements: Window furnishings from Lynch’s Window Fashions; 8.5 kw solar photovoltaic system; Tait outdoor furniture Other: James Richardson Soda tables and Split chairs; Kristina Dam Curved bench; Coco Flip custom-curved Sequence bench; Real Non-Real coatstand; In Good Company custom dining table

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02 Defined, connected rooms at the centre of the house cater to busy family life. Artwork: Herbert Leupin.

03 Finishes in the powder room celebrate the modernist lineage of the original home.

04 A sunken living room with velvet couches recalls the 1970s without recourse to pastiche.

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05 The house was extended sideways into the neighbouring lot, which now contains a private parents’ pavilion.

06 Garden was integral to the plan, ensuring rooms enjoy aspects to varied landscape.

07 A distinctive curved motif on the original house’s facade is continued to frame the new southern pavilion.

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Architect Kister Architects +61 3 416 270 607 ilana@kisterarchitects.com.au kisterarchitects.com.au

Project team Ilana Kister, Danielle Fedden Builder Basis Builders Engineer OPS Engineers Landscape architect Acre Joinery Evolve Joinery Electrical True South Electrical Landscaping Form Landscaping Styling Jess Kneebone Styling

ALTERATION + ADDITION

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HIGHAM ROAD HOUSE

BY P H I LI P STEJSKAL ARCHITECTURE

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In North Fremantle, a characterful extension reinvigorates a petite weatherboard cottage to suit spirited family life, providing varied spaces for both connectivity and calm.

Words by Beth George Photography by Bo Wong

At Higham Road House, a two-room weatherboard cottage fronts the street, bright and neat as a pin. To its rear, in deeper shades, sits an extension. Taller than the cottage and visible through a gap between the original house and the boundary, it stretches up and is capped by an expressive, pointed roof form.

I wondered about the characterful nature of this gesture, and later found it articulated highlight windows beyond. Set well back, the extension has a sense of personhood about it. Kristen and Paul approached the architect, Philip Stejskal, for this alterations and additions project on a challenging site several years ago. They have since become a family of four, bringing the whirlwind of two young kids into the story and life of the project.

The North Fremantle site slopes quite steeply toward its rear and the Swan River beyond, and its north aspect is limited by the existing cottage.

It is surrounded by numerous established neighbourhood trees and while the river itself is not visible, the amphitheatre of East Fremantle on the opposite embankment can be seen from an elevated vantage. These conditions are the cues for the architecture, along with the desire to both create privacy for the family and foster a connection with the street and the local community.

The cottage was constructed in the 1920s and is protected by heritage codes. It was a small worker’s residence with only two rooms, which have been restored and now house the children’s bedrooms, and a rear lean-to, which has been removed to create continuity with the extension. The main design acts are the creation of a central courtyard, which brings the presence of light and air (and a pink crepe myrtle tree) into the surrounding rooms, and the staggering of the house in section, which creates a sense of flow, variation and spatial separation without visual interruption.

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01 The rooms of the original cottage and the extension are linked by a central courtyard.

Higham Road House is built on the land of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation.

4 Fremantle, WA

Alteration + addition

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2 +1 powder room

There is much to occupy the eyes and the hands about the architecture: changes in material, intricate details and tactile surfaces. Multicoloured brick references the local limestone geology, with mortar applied in a historic manner: proud of the joints and loosely pressed. The lower floor has an exposed concrete soffit and rammed concrete walls. There is crimped zinc forming the roof and housing the skylights, and blackbutt ply and waxed mild steel internally. While numerous, there is a logic in the role and distribution of these materials: concrete grounds the house and gives weight to its foundation, brick wraps it, zinc relates it to roof and sky, and timber and steel form the joinery and relate to the body-scale of the project. To move through it, then, you are in the earthed part of the house, or the sky-and-garden house where much of the everyday activity occurs, or in the darker, more intimate spaces – the lounge, study and bedrooms.

“Through,” “past” and “between” are key performances here, whether in the curation of people, light, air or view. The mass of the new upper level is set back from the side boundary so that light washes down the retaining wall toward the excavated basement. A small sitting nook peeps out at the front of the addition, past the original cottage, to show its face (and hat) to the street.

The kitchen gazes through the nook’s window. The wall between the linear kitchen and exterior edits the outlook from inside: bench level and highlight windows look at foliage and sky respectively, while the neighbouring house is screened from view. Beyond this, a brick wall traces the boundary through which, sweetly, Kristen and her neighbour have developed a custom of exchanging baked delights, herbs and conversation. The kids’ rooms at the front are connected to the kitchen by a between-space, a stepped play area.

We look through the courtyard from one room to another. We look through highlight windows to tree canopy and sky. Staircases are used to imply division between spaces, but their stringers and balustrades are made from steel rods to keep them visually permeable. There is a seriality to the house visually and in terms of passage, and this is largely afforded by the sectional composition of the program.

There are some distinct punctuations and stopping points to this seriality. The outer wall of the courtyard contains a niched day bed and outdoor hearth, the brick chimney of which stretches right up to be expressed as what Philip calls a “folly.” This thin, towering structure supports a roof terrace, accessed by an external stair, with another open-air seating area outlined by timber portal-frames. From here, the views of the surroundings – and back into the house via the court – are lovely, and a sense of being in the neighbourhood is coupled with one of retreat. The main bedroom culminates in a southwest corner window that takes in numerous trees, the house’s own yard with a young Bauhinia that will grow up sinuous and flowered, and the deeper view to the topography and houses of East Fremantle, beyond the river.

These full-stops in the architecture feel calm and secluded, but also connect the house and its dwellers to the world beyond.

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ALTERATION + ADDITION

Site 427 m² Floor 359 m²

Design 2 y Build 2 y

Per m² $4,600

Products Roofing: Standing seam zinc panels by VM Zinc; True Oak steel panels from Revolution Roofing in ‘Heritage Galvanised’ External walls: Face brick custom mix from Midland Brick; fibre cement sheets by Equitone; acetylated cladding by Accoya; weatherboard from James Hardie in Porter’s Wood Wash; standing seam zinc panels by VM Zinc Interna walls: Paperock finished Internal with Osmo Oil; plasterboard from CSR; spotted gum panelling by Big River Group in zero-sheen polyurethane; cladding by Cemintel; face brick custom mix from Midland Brick; rammed concrete Windows: Powdercoated aluminium frames by Alspec; Aneeta sashes; Altair louvres Doors: Cavity sliders and hinged doors by Cockburn Joinery in painted timber veneer Flooring: Burnished concrete; waxed Terre Colorate tiles; Foss carpet by Cavalier Bremworth Lighting: Various from Unios Kitchen: Gas cooktop from Wolf; oven by V-Zug; integrated refrigerator and freezer by Liebherr; dishwasher by Miele Bathroom: Hardware from Sussex Taps in ‘Satin Chrome’ and ‘Living Brushed Brass’; various fixtures

by Laufen and Geberit from Reece Heating and cooling: Airconditioner by Daikin; underfloor heating from Stiebel Eltron; custom timber and fibre cement shade screens External elements: Spotted gum decking; Toodyay stone pavers; sandstone stepping stones Other: Various custom-made wall panels, accessories, seats, screens and stairs

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Bedroom Porch Walk-in robe Main bedroom Roof terrace Lookout

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05 On the lower ground floor, a lounge opens onto the garden.

06 Operable louvres enable the owners to adjust privacy between the main bedroom and living spaces.

07 Robust materials will ensure longevity as the family grows.

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Architect Philip Stejskal Architecture +61 401 727 405 studio@architectureps.com.au architectureps.com

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Project team Philip Stejskal, Yang Yang Lee Builder Portrait Custom Homes Engineer Andreotta Cardenosa Consulting Engineers Landscaping Annghi Tran Landscape Architecture Studio Lighting Unios

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EASTHAM ST R E E T

BY M U I R

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EASTHAM STREET

A modest alteration to a heritage home in Melbourne’s inner north deftly handles a tight corner site, carving out space for sublime inhabitation and presenting a mass of trellised greenery to the street.

Words by Rachel Hurst Photography by Peter Bennetts

It’s a far cry from Fitzroy North to the Palace of Versailles, yet an inspired insight into Louis XIV’s spectacular gardens elevates Eastham Street, a modest alteration and addition by Muir. The French have a way of elevating almost everything with an architectural sensibility – take the vertical confectioneries of MarieAntoine Carême, who said, “Most noble of all the arts is architecture, and its greatest manifestation is the art of the pastry chef.” It is treillage – the art of trellising – that underpins the transformation of this double-fronted Victorian house for a retired couple into a contemporary home, at once strategic and magical.

There are no sugar puff moves here: Muir uses the ingenuity of the treillageurs – specialist trellis builders – to fold together interior, garden, roof and street, creating a trompe l’oeil of continuous space, without any increase to the existing footprint or recourse to the big-box-on-the-back stereotype.

Nor are there grandiose aspirations. Practice director Amy Muir recalls the brief from clients Ruth and Andrew was succinct and specific: “We would like a rooftop deck, and to make a nice kitchen.”

The project delivered these, but also rearranged the interior to enhance light penetration and connectivity, and to attune it to the way the clients live (for example, losing a third bedroom to allow for more generous wet spaces). However, it is the handling of the tight street

HOUSES 146

corner, with heritage overlays to both frontages, that is really distinctive. The additions are almost invisible from the street, but glimpses of the trellis create an intriguing ghost silhouette of surrounding roof forms that will, in time, become an explosion of greenery.

And with the adaptation of the garage as a flexible walk-though from garden to street, I’m reminded of the inner patios of Cordoba, which offer green oases for those who know where to look. Amy cites another Spanish precedent underpinning her thinking: “I still bang on about Enric Miralles and Carme Pinos’s Igualada Cemetery. When I visited it in 1996, it was the first time architecture, landscape and interiors made perfect sense, and all in a civic sense.”

At Eastham Street, the humble lean-to becomes the key to tying architecture, landscape and interior together. Externally, the building remains a classic expression of Victorian housing; the interior, however, is carved out around the junction of the main roof and lean-to, dissolving compartmented rooms into an open living-dining-kitchen space that extends naturally into a courtyard. A complex folded ceiling acknowledges the home’s original disposition and also adds volumetric drama and plastic transitions between different zones. A long skylight between the lean-to and garage illuminates the restored brickwork with atmospheric effects of light and shade. A ribbon of

ALTERATION + ADDITION

01 A steel and mesh trellis, at once utilitarian and delicate, wraps the rooftop deck, stair and courtyard.

02 A folded ceiling adds volumetric drama to the reorganized living spaces.

03 Oversized black window frames mark the transition to the courtyard and outline views of the garden.

04 A long skylight in the dining space illuminates the restored brickwork to dramatic effect.

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Eastham Street is built on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

2 Melbourne, Vic

Alteration + addition

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Couple

Site 206 m² Floor 120 m²

Design 14 m Build 10 m

Products Internal walls: Dulux Wash and Wear paint in ‘Natural White’; Timberwood Panels in American oak sealed with Bona Drifast in ‘Grey’ Flooring Existing Baltic pine L ghting: Ora pendant by Ross Lighting: Gardam; Mini Glo-Ball by Euroluce; Dioscuri 25 by Artemide Kitchen: Icon tapware by Astra Walker in ‘Chrome’; oven and cooktop by Fisher and Paykel; Cdesign 1330 basin by Omvivo; American oak veneer joinery

by Timberwood Panels sealed with Bona Drifast in ‘Grey’; 2-pac in Dulux ‘Natural White’ Bathroom: Nest floor-mount toilet by Vitra; terazzo tiles from Signorino in ‘Grey’; Cdesign 1330 basin by Omvivo; Icon tapware

by Astra Walker in ‘Chrome’ Externa elements: Stainless steel External mesh by Tensile; Rhodes concrete pavers from Stone Outdoors Other: No. 811 Hoffmann dining chairs and Bate table from Thonet

stained American oak joinery connects the spaces, adding a human scale and deftly concealing TV, cooling and heating.

It’s a restrained, expert shaping of space, surface and light, punctuated by the pronounced hand of the window-wall into the garden. This is where the weight of the house is gathered and intensified with oversized black timber frames. In contrast to current fashions for frameless glazed thresholds, there is nothing petite about this one: Muir amplifies the major view out, and the blackness contrasts and balances the gentle interior colour palette.

External spaces channel the reductionism of Japanese gardens, where selective planting, architectural form and borrowed landscape give a deliberate journey of compressed spaces. The path is defined by a thickened trellis of milled 32-millimetre-diameter stainless steel tube and stainless steel mesh: it starts as a canopy above the window-wall, and then veils the garage, encloses the stair and eventually forms a balustrade for an elevated outdoor room that the clients describe as “Andrew’s Folly.” But there is no capriciousness in the handling of these critical elements: a single architectural material, a solitary maple tree retained from the existing garden and one species of climber to transform the structure over time. And despite its connotations of utilitarian fencing, there is a delicacy and elegance to the construction that comes from careful composition and detailing. Is it growing out of the house, or the courtyard? With a nod to the artifice and ambiguity of seventeenth-century French style, it’s a place full of temporal allusions – both ephemeral and enduring – where ornamental vines perform a pragmatic, modern-day task of adding green amenity in a dense inner suburb. A place to greet the morning and farewell the evening.

I ask the clients about their new home, and they remark on “its integration and echoes of what was there.” There is an ethos in Amy’s practice of interpreting sustainability as longevity – a longevity of architectural presence and ideas, whether site-specific Victorian, contemporary Spanish or French Renaissance. It’s not just the intelligent resolution of functional and heritage parameters that warrants admiration at Eastham Street, but also the imaginative connection to subliminal experiences of inhabitation.

And with the delightful blurring of place, architecture and landscape, I expect both Gardening Australia and Marie-Antoinette would approve.

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Architect Muir +61 3 9614 0193 mail@muirarchitecture.com muirarchitecture.com

HOUSES 146

ALTERATION + ADDITION

Project team Alessandro Castiglioni, Amy Muir, Toby McElwaine Builder Project Edge Engineer Co-Struct Building surveyor BSGM Steel screen fabricator Formanova Stainless steel mesh supplier and installer Tensile Landscaping Openwork and Fytogreen

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Bathroom: Pandolfini Architects Photography: Rory Gardiner

Wowowa Architecture IN PROFILE

With a fervent dislike for ‘boring spaces,’ Wowowa designs memorable homes that express a joyful exuberance, driven by a keen appreciation for history, context and client relationships.

Words by Alexandra Brown Photography by Peter Bennetts, Martina Gemmola, Shannon McGrath

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You might well be familiar with the witty, carefully executed work of Melbourne architecture practice Wowowa Architecture. Led by directors Monique and Scott Woodward, the practice has been growing assuredly since it was founded in 2010 and now encompasses a team of 14, which works across its assertive collection of residential work as well as an increasing number of education and public projects. Based in Collingwood, on the unceded land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurring people of the Kulin nation, the practice recently established a presence in Perth, on the unceded land of the Whadjuk Noongar people.

There’s a shiny, impossibly fresh edge to everything Wowowa touches. Often described as “playful” and “bold,” their work is almost always recognizable, yet without ever subscribing to a singular architectural style. Think of it less as a look and more like a feeling of joyful exuberance.

Wowowa’s effect on domestic space is like taking a set of highlighters to a textbook: things look sharper, words jump out and colours run up against each other, forming new patterns and meanings over paragraphs of existing prose.

At the same time, it’s important not to mistake Wowowa’s

joviality for a lack of seriousness. A lot has been written over the years about the practice’s fondness for bold palettes and whimsy, but just as fundamental to the practice’s ethos is its commitment to client relationships, sustainability and social justice. The B Corp certified practice aligns itself with spaces that are personal, memorable and well-loved. Moreover, it actively resist the immediacy and potential wastefulness of the speculative housing market by choosing to work with residential clients who intend to live in their new homes for at least five years.

In part, the freshness of Wowowa’s work comes from the fact that the practice seems thoroughly uninterested in shaping its work too closely around the current moment.

As Monique puts it, “We aim to be timeless, to be off-trend always,” and this timelessness – or perhaps, more accurately, a profound interest in time – is woven throughout Wowowa’s outlook and approach to practice.

Wowowa’s residential designs are framed by their relationship to the past, present and future, cutting across eras with apparent ease. A deep appreciation for history and context forms a consistent and fertile starting point for much

02 01 Monique and Scott Woodward co-founded Wowowa in 2010. Photograph: Peter Bennetts.

02 Tiger Prawn (2018) is an early example of the scalloped brick forms that have become a regular riff in Wowowa’s work.

03 A curvilinear courtyard in Tiger Prawn is a playful way to bring light into the living spaces.

04 Utilitarian brickwork combines with terrazzo and muted timber at Tiger Prawn.

Artwork: Amy Wright.

Photographs (02–04): Shannon McGrath.

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of the practice’s work. As Monique puts it, “We’re interested in embellishing and responding to existing material. That’s why we love renovations so much – there’s always some kind of reference point with which to compare and contrast.”

This fascination with unravelling a narrative idea from a site’s existing fabric begins to explain the intriguing association made between marine crustaceans and the staggered brownand-gold-brick patterns that typify Victorian-era terraced houses. Tiger Prawn (2018, see Houses 122), an irreverently named addition to one such heritage terrace in Fitzroy North on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung land, adapts that brick motif into architectural form and is an early example of the kind of scalloped shapes that have become a regular riff in Wowowa’s work. The project extends both the rear of the house and, with it, the prawn metaphor, through the use of raw (uncooked) grey blockwork.

Even when designing a new home, Wowowa finds a way to weave the existing language of the street and the suburb into the design, alongside a plethora of reference points that combine to generate an abundance of layered, meaningful elements and forms. At Merri Creek (2019, see Houses 132), turrets and silos in various stages of conceptual

05 The cylindrical forms of Merri Creek (2019) reference turrets and silos in various stages of conceptual ruin.

06 The internal palette complements the warm pinks of the brickwork.

07 A custom timber and marble island bench at Merri Creek is a characteristically inventive gesture.

Artwork: Yilpi Marks.

Photographs (05–07): Shannon McGrath.

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IN PROFILE

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08 A scooped roof casts lively shadows across Pony (2020), an extension to a mid-century home.

09 Terrazzo is paired with zesty peach and yellow finishes in a nostalgic tribute to Pony’s modernist roots.

10 The long addition to Pony flanks the garden and frames multiple vistas.

Photographs (08–10): Martina Gemmola. Styling: Ruth Welsby.

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ruin are combined with Art Deco cues drawn from neighbouring houses. Dusty pinks pick up the warmth of the home’s extensive brickwork, with pops of blue in the interior showing off the confident use of colour that Wowowa has continued to develop.

Wowowa’s skill at working with existing conditions was again on full display with the completion of Pony in Brighton East on Boon Wurrung land in 2020 (see Houses 139). A renovation for a family of six, Pony keeps the apricot-brick structure of the existing mid-century home largely intact, adding only a modest amount of new floor area to the rear of the site while filling the project interiors with a series of deliciously bold colours and finishes.

The practice’s interest in the iterative development of types and categories has resulted in a set of returning motifs across its residential work. Ponds (2021), a renovation to an Art Deco era home that was affectionately dubbed the “freshwater yabby,” reconsiders the brick-informed logic of Tiger Prawn, while exploring new geometries and possibilities.

In true Wowowa fashion, Ponds is underscored by layered meanings. The yabby, along with the prawn and the Deco turrets before it, collide with the Italian

WOWOWA ARCHITECTURE

A lot has been written about Wowowa’s fondness for bold palettes and whimsy, but just as fundamental to the practice’s ethos is its commitment to client relationships, sustainability and social justice.

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11 Ponds (2021) reconsiders the brick-informed logic of Tiger Prawn, this time referencing the freshwater yabby.

12 The “playful ornament” of the original 1930s Art Deco home is celebrated at Ponds.

13 Wowowa relishes the chance to respond to a home’s existing architecture.

Photographs (11–13): Martina Gemmola.

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baroque – a gloriously theatrical architectural style of the seventeenth century – as part of the practice’s Borromini series, a line of enquiry that puts these projects in conversation with the undulating edges and sculptural scoops of projects such as Francesco Borromini’s San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome.

The Borromini series is telling of Wowowa’s fascination with and respect for layered histories and embellishments. In Hermon (2021, on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung land), the practice has completed an ambitious renovation of a renovation that leaves the original home largely intact. The alterations and additions play with the more recent Federation Revival sections of the house, combining signature Wowowa curves and cuts with swathes of soft fabric that seem to dance beneath a floating-but-full awning.

It’s not difficult to see the influence of Edmond and Corrigan on the work and thinking of Wowowa – and perhaps not surprising to note that Monique cites her time studying under Peter Corrigan at RMIT as a particularly formative experience, often returning to his call for “more ideas and less refinement” in the initial stages of the design process. Equally, though, Wowowa understands who exactly they are. In Monique’s words, “Seeing yourself as part of this more fluid place within history just demands that you do

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your best work and you don’t look sideways. You are who you are, and you do what feels right to you.” This, in turn, means that the practice relishes the opportunity to develop the same level of awareness about their clients: “We do take a deep dive into who our clients are and that’s really the fun of it – it makes our work harder but also more rewarding.”

Look closely at some of the images and documents produced by Wowowa and you might find what appears to be a hot pink, two-faced Kangaroo. “Janus Roous,” part-logo, part-Rorschach test, stares calmly into the past and the future. If this roo is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, of duality and the passing of time, then his existence is another indication that, much like the practice’s work, there’s a lot to unpack if you stick around for long enough. Reflecting on the dualities of the practice, Monique puts it best: “We try to sit in that middle place, because we get a lot of joy through interpreting the references we love in a way that’s readable and legible to the client. You can be both. You can be Janus Roous, looking in two directions at once. The ‘both’ is where the freshness comes from. You can be a thought leader but you can also really love tiles. For us, everything is an ‘and’ conversation, not an ‘or’.” wowowa.com.au

14 Hermon (2021) cleverly reworks the existing footprint, accommodating a vibrant pantry behind the kitchen.

15 A sculptural fireplace is the heart of Hermon, an ambitious “renovation of a renovation.”

Artwork: Anne Roussac-Hoyne.

Photographs (14–15): Martina Gemmola.

Styling: Ruth Welsby.

16 Serious fun: the Wowowa team (2022). Photograph: Peter Bennetts.

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Lobster Bay House

Designed by Ian McKay for photojournalist David Moore, Lobster Bay House (1972) sustains an elemental occupation of its remarkable, rocky site.

Carefully preserved over the decades, the house endures as a cherished retreat for Moore’s family.

by Ian McKay

Words by Jemima Retallack Photography by Rory Gardiner

REVISITED

The story of Lobster Bay House is as much about its architect, Ian McKay, as it is about its client, renowned photojournalist David Moore. The lives of McKay and Moore were intertwined, both professionally and personally: as colleagues, they shared offices in North Sydney, while McKay was also stepfather to Moore’s children. Lobster Bay House, completed in 1972 and considered to be one of McKay’s best residential designs, marks the evolution of the relationship into that of client and architect. Designed as a holiday house for Moore and his children, it is an intricately crafted shelter that pursues an elemental occupation of a dramatic rocky site.

McKay (1932–2015) was part of the Sydney School, a group who celebrated the use of common and natural materials and who searched for an architecture that reflected the local environment and landscape character.

He established his own practice in 1960 and his early career included a four-year association with Philip Cox. Their collaboration resulted in two Sulman Medals, awarded to public buildings by the New South Wales chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects: St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Leppington in 1963 and the C. B. Alexander Presbyterian Agricultural College in Tocal in 1965. After McKay and Cox went their separate ways, McKay continued to pursue residential design throughout his career.

Moore was no stranger to the Sydney School architects. His early career included time in celebrated photographer Max Dupain’s studio and, later, his own work spanned architectural, commercial and now iconic imagery of Sydney’s foreshores and harbour. Moore used to take his four children on camping trips to the north and south of Sydney and, as the years passed and the load of camping paraphernalia, surfboards and boogie boards grew, he decided to seek out a more permanent bush retreat.

The eventual site for the house was found by McKay and purchased by Moore in 1968. Located two-hours north of Sydney and bordering the Bouddi National Park in Pretty Beach, the site straddles a ridge above Lobster Beach looking out over Broken Bay. Moore was conscious of his

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01 Located in Pretty Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast, Lobster Bay House was designed as a tranquil holiday home in the bush.

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The prominent, steeply pitched roof is the building’s primary external form, and its distinctive skin is now covered in lichen, allowing the house to blend in perfectly with the site’s weathered sandstone boulders.

03 role as custodian of the unspoilt bush block and its established forest of angophora costata trees. In line with his desire for a shelter within the bush, his brief to McKay was to create a building akin to an “insect sitting upon a rock.” The first few iterations of the design, with inboard bathrooms bordered by sleeping quarters, were rejected, and the eventual design is thought to have been guided in its form by Moore himself. The result was a layout with a main living area bordered by a kitchen and deck, flanked by bedrooms and bathrooms that fan out across the rock.

McKay resolved this into almost perfect symmetry, shifting the children’s bedroom into a loft over the central living area – a suspended, tiered structure of bunks accessed at each end by pipework ladders with timber treads.

The house sits perched high on a rocky outcrop.

With the wings of its roof battened down to withstand the prevailing south-westerly winds that howl up the hillside, the building is strongly evocative of both a tent structure and its entomological origins. The symmetry is broken only for key moments to distinguish entry points. The deck gives way in one corner for a large angophora, which is now protected by a balustrade but which was originally bounded by a bench seat, thrillingly wrapped around the perimeter of the trunk.

These touches with nature are continually curated at Lobster Bay House. A series of stone steps, individually hauled into position by Moore, wind up from the access road to the back door (though it is used as the main door). The prominent, steeply pitched roof is the building’s primary external form, and its distinctive skin of corrugated asbestos-cement sheet is now covered in lichen, allowing the home to blend in perfectly with the site’s weathered sandstone boulders.

In later years, when the dangers of asbestos fibres became

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02 The tent-like form of the roof is battened down to shield the house from strong winds.

03 Touches with nature are continually curated on the unspoilt bush block.

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04 Two timber trusses, arranged in an A-frame arrangement, are expressed in the interior.

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Kitchen Living Deck Bedroom

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Floor plan (not to scale) Original plan reproduced from Karen McCartney, 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: Three decades of domestic architecture (Murdoch Books, 2007).

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known, McKay held this material choice as his only regret in the execution of the project, its beauty paired uncomfortably with its hazardous legacy.

While the exterior of the building focuses on shelter and protection, the interior is cosy and calm, lined with plywood, western red cedar and expressed sawn Oregon beams. The building is entirely defined by its structure: two timber trusses propped in an ‘A’ frame arrangement. The ‘A’ frame is flanked by the two wings, which accommodate the symmetrical arrangement of bedrooms and bathrooms tucked beneath. Lovingly constructed by a local builder, Peter Velling, and foreman/carpenter Jack Coster, the house – initially thought to be buildable in six weeks – was completed over the course of a year from 1971–72.

When inside Lobster Bay House, you are aware of how considered and complete the building is. Deceivingly simple in plan, it has a complex section to suspend the loft structure. The provision of windows and hatches along the webs of the truss creates unexpected spaces and moments at each turn. The quality is distinctively Japanese in the consideration of joins and the hierarchy of timber members.

The removal of one element would seemingly render the whole incomplete and unsupported.

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When Moore decided he was ready to part with the property, his children united to take over its care while continuing the family’s use and patronage of the house.

Internally, the walls are covered in found objects collected from Lobster Beach, collated and nailed in place. Coathanger portraits hint at rainy-day activities during summer holidays. A charcoal drawing covers the original location of the angled chimney flue, which was removed due to the impracticality of walking below it and its tendency to fill the room with smoke. The richness added to the interior by years of family use make you understand the Moore children’s desire to remain its custodians. They have, in turn, spent many years addressing maintenance issues, resolving roadway access and diverting stormwater to ensure the protection and longevity of the property.

This is a building that few would dare to build today: small in size, sitting lightly in its bush landscape, turning its side to the expected views and providing minimum comfort. It is as much about what is built as what is unbuilt. Mostly, though, it is about experience. You feel the unevenness of the boulders (and the weight of your groceries) as you climb up to the house. At night, tucked beneath the building’s wings, you hear the wind rattle the treetops and you are woken by the cacophony of birds whose home of branches the house sits within. The house connects its inhabitants to the land on which it sits, allowing them to discover the bush while camouflaging itself in plain sight.

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Section (not to scale) Original section reproduced from Karen McCartney, 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: Three decades of domestic architecture (Murdoch Books, 2007).

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06 A loft bedroom with built-in bunks is evocative of tent camping.

07 Sliding screens of timber battens reveal the influence of Japanese design on McKay’s work.

08 The deck cantilevers out to the west and offers an immediate connection to the angophora trees.

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Architect Ian McKay Draftsperson Adrian Boss Builder Peter Velling Foreman/carpenter Jack Coster

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COVID Retrospect: A Reconsidered Residential Habitat

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A Brisbane exhibition asked architects and designers to re-examine a built project through a post-pandemic lens, exploring how the COVID-19 lockdowns might impact the future of residential design.

EXHIBITION

Words by Georgia Birks Photography by Nikolas Strugar

Mid-March 2020 turned out to be one of those “where were you?” moments. Everyone remembers where they were when the Australian government announced widespread restrictions for the nation after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.

We looked around our homes, bewildered, not knowing that – particularly for Melburnians – these spaces would become our places for rest, work and play for the following two years. The subsequent confinement had many of us examining our homes with newfound scrutiny, with endless hours to contemplate how best to adapt our living arrangements to the post-pandemic world.

An exhibition curated by the Architecture Et Cetera Lab invited a selection of architects and designers to propose alternative conceptualizations to one or more of their built residential projects, in order to examine how the pandemic might have shaped the design.

COVID Retrospect: A Reconsidered Residential Habitat presented the schemes in a “before and after” approach, with pre-pandemic projects displayed alongside their hypothetical post-pandemic versions. The works felt quite intimate, with each proposal seeming to reveal the designer’s personal stories or the challenges they experienced during the pandemic.

Atelier Luke’s Things Abandoned could be seen as a nod to the studio’s physical relocation: the practice returned to Australia from Japan as a result of the pandemic. By overlaying its Kyoto project Terrace House Near Demachiyanagi on a block in Bulimba, Brisbane, Atelier Luke explored the opportunity for “connected isolation” through the reworking of suburban planning. The post-pandemic concept was presented in depth via a QR code, a wry reminder of the tracking technologies imposed throughout Australian cities.

In a different approach, COVID Introspect

by Beth George focused on what was present during her confinement rather than what was lacking. Beth’s concept altered the familiar spaces of her rental home, proposing the use of skylights, sliding doors and paints to capture light and draw the movement of the outside world into the interior. Diagrams and drawings were accompanied by an interactive model, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in her creative experiments, which she explains “help one’s self feel connected to things beyond their home.”

The exhibition was thought-provoking and certainly generated comparative discussion between post- and pre-pandemic architectural endeavours. But more than this, it highlighted the different losses (and, in some instances, opportunities) felt by individuals and communities during lockdown or isolation. In a global pandemic, it was these personal experiences that generated the design intent for each individual project.

Society’s future relationship with COVID-19 is hard to determine. More pressing global and national events have subdued the panic invoked by the presence of the virus, yet it remains a prevailing health issue. Will new ideas for living, such as those exhibited in COVID Retrospect, become commonplace in briefs for residential design? Will those states that endured stricter and longer lockdowns produce more homes that cater for periods of isolation? And is it possible that homes designed in response to the pandemic will come to define an era in time – the Post-Pandemic House?

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COVID Retrospect: A Reconsidered Residential Habitat was curated by Architecture Et Cetera Lab and exhibited at Brickworks Brisbane Design Studio from 10–22 March 2022. aeclab.com.au

POSTSCRIPT

01 Things Abandoned

by Atelier Luke reconfigures a typical Brisbane suburban block to foster “connected isolation.”

02 Beth George’s COVID Introspect proposes small alterations in a rental home that aim to draw the outside in.

Architect: John Ellway Architect / Artwork: Jacqueline Kaytar for Repose / Photography: Toby Scott

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