Japanese ryokans inform OWIU’s renovation of Duane House in LA
Mid-century modern and traditional Japanese influences blend inside this Los Angeles home, which the principals of design studio OWIU have reimagined for themselves. More
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Studio Jean Verville Architectes adds “graphic dimension” to brutalist apartment
Bright yellow accents stand out against concrete and metal surfaces within this “creative laboratory” that architect Jean Verville has created for himself inside a residential tower in Quebec City.
The Canadian architect, who is currently dividing his time between practice and teaching at the School of Architecture of Laval University in Quebec City, designed the 79-square-metre apartment as a space he can both work and reside in.
A pair of bright yellow lamps extend over the commercial restaurant furniture in the live-work apartment’s kitchenVerville, founder of Studio Jean Verville Architecte, describes the project as “an architectural experiment orchestrating a space with a graphic dimension”.
The 1970s tower in which the residence is located was designed by architect Marcel Bilodeau and faces the Plains of Abraham Park in front of the St Lawrence River.
The stainless steel furniture blends with the raw concrete shell of the brutalist building”Like an observation post offering breathtaking views of the Laurentian Mountains, the urban landscape, and the St Lawrence River, the interior comes alive with an immutable body-to-body relationship between transparency and reflection, while transforming realities through distancing and multiplication,” said the architect.The residence was completely gutted to leave a raw concrete shell, with windows on the north and south sides ushering light into the deep space.
Verville inserted a series of glass and mirrored partitions to divide up the space, allowing for various layout optionsInstead of solid walls, Verville installed a series of sliding partitions so he could open up or close off areas as desired.
These glass and mirror panes are mounted on metal tracks and bounce the natural light through the apartment, allowing the compact unit to feel larger than it is.
An area furnished as a living room contains a rust-coloured sofa and a black-lacquered chair”By addition or subtraction, this flexible system fragments the plan into six layout alternatives with undetermined functions, offering up to seven distinct sub-spaces,” said Verville. “Meanwhile, flexible blinds with a metallic finish allow the option of openwork borders, as well as total privacy.”
Beside the south-facing balcony is a kitchen, which features stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture that blends with the grey concrete shell.
The partitions are mounted on metal tracks and can be opened and closed as desired to alter the layoutA central island is fitted with two sinks, each with a large balanced-arm lamp in bright yellow mounted on the wall behind.
The lamps can be adjusted into position above any area of the kitchen counter to aid with food preparation.
The concrete bedroom is solely furnished with a low bedRooms suggested by the partitions include a sleeping area furnished only with a simple low bed and a study where a simple metal desk faces a window.
The living area is populated by a rust-coloured sofa and a black lacquered chair arranged around a pair of mirrored coffee tables.Jean Verville converts backyard shed into minimalist studio in Montreal
“The strategic positioning of domestic equipment maintains constant physical and visual permeability to neutralise the compactness of the unit,” Verville said.
Services, pipes and ductwork are all exposed throughout the apartment, demonstrating how it operates as a functional space.
Verville considers the space a “creative laboratory” in which he can experimentOther eclectic items peppered through the residence give the feel of a creative laboratory, in which its occupant experiments with space and the act of living within it.
“Glass vials of all kinds, models and various explorations, utilitarian objects, and plants rub shoulders on the shelves, revisiting the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities in a playful presentation of everyday life,” said the architect.
Verville frequently inserts himself into the photo sets of his projectsVerville is known for its minimalist material-focused projects, as well as for playfully inserting himself into the photographs of completed – as evidenced in this set.
He can also be seen wandering around in a cape through a Montreal apartment designed for a music composer, hanging out of a loft in a shed he converted into a workspace and balancing on the roof of an A-frame forest cabin.
The photography is by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine Michel.
Project credits:
Studio Jean Verville Architectes team: Jean Verville, architect – lead designer; Gabriel Ladouceur, studio coordinator, professional and scientific MA architecture candidate; Guillaume Turgeon Solis, technical specialist; France Goneau, artistic advisor; Tania Paula Garza Rico, architectSpecial collaborations: Loïc Bard, art furniture; France Goneau, ceramic sculpturesContractor: Nomad ConstructionRead more: More
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Eight eclectic self-designed homes by architects and designers
Our latest lookbook collects eight dwellings that were self-designed by architects and designers including Mexico-based Ludwig Godefroy and London studio Holloway Li.
From a modernist-style house in South Africa to an American family residence characterised by a large interior crane, there are a range of materials and floor plans offered by each of these homes.
The properties demonstrate the myriad ways architects and designers apply their knowledge to their own living spaces and push the boundaries of what is possible outside of client constraints.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and paper lamps.
Photo by HANAAtwater House, USA, by Rebecca Rudolph and Colin ThompsonCo-founder of Design, Bitches Rebecca Rudolph and her husband Colin Thompson of Gensler designed their own home in Atwater Village, Los Angeles.
In the kitchen, the pair combined a polished marble splashback with a central stone island clad in bespoke concrete panels made by Thompson.
Find out more about Atwater House ›
Photo by Frances MaraisMossel Bay house, South Africa, by Yvette van Zyl
Modernist and nautical influences come together at this three-bedroom home in Mossel Bay, South Africa, designed and owned by local architect Yvette van Zyl.
Porthole-style windows illuminate the interior, which features a mixture of concrete ceilings and floors and walls of exposed or painted brick.
Find out more about this Mossel Bay house ›
Photo by Jim StephensonPeckham House, UK, by Surman Weston
Peckham House is a self-designed and self-build project by architecture studio Surman Weston, where co-director Percy Weston currently lives with his family.
Hit-and-miss brickwork clads the home’s striking facade, while lime plaster lines the walls inside. End-grain woodblocks, salvaged from offcuts of the ceiling’s wooden structure, were also used to create chunky flooring.
Find out more about Peckham House ›
Photo by Edmund DabneyLondon apartment, UK, by Holloway Li
Local design studio Holloway Li sought to honour the utilitarian kitchens of London’s many fast food outlets when creating a “unique” circle-brushed steel kitchen for this Highbury apartment.
Inhabited by studio co-founder Alex Holloway, the apartment features pops of colour in its resin dining table and chubby orange armchair. A bathtub was also placed in the open-plan living space, adding to the home’s unusual design.
Find out more about this London apartment ›
Photo by Edmund SumnerCasa SanJe, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy
Known for his brutalist-style buildings, architect Ludwig Godefroy and his partner renovated this house and home studio in Mexico for himself and his family.
Integrated with an adjacent garden, Casa SanJe is characterised by a caste concrete interior with a mixture of warm wood panels and a wall covered in reddish volcanic stone.
Find out more about Casa SanJe ›
Photo by Jim StephensonBrighton house, UK, by Studiotwentysix
Isabella and Dan Gray of architecture office Studiotwentysix created a birch plywood-lined loft extension for their family house in Brighton, England.
Containing 55 square metres of additional living spaces, the loft includes an exposed red-oxide steel structure and is punctuated by geometric skylights.
Find out more about this Brighton house ›
Photo by Benny ChanJArzm House, USA, by John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects
The founders of John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects inserted a giant yellow construction crane into the kitchen of their Los Angeles family home in the city’s Silver Lake neighbourhood.
“Designing our own house was great because we didn’t have to ask permission,” John Friedman told Dezeen, explaining the unusual move. “We could do whatever we want.”
Find out more about JArzm House ›
Photo by Lorenzo ZandriOasis, UK, by Unknown Works
Oasis is the home of architecture studio Unknown Works’ co-founder Theo Games Petrohilos, who wanted to renovate a terraced London house by adding a side and rear extension to create a flexible interior and maximise natural light.
The studio placed a petite internal courtyard at the centre of the plan, which was informed by traditional Japanese stone gardens that provide cross ventilation throughout homes.
Find out more about Oasis ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and paper lamps.Read more: More
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Ludwig Godefroy prioritises garden for “timeless” family home in Mexico
Mexico-based architect Ludwig Godefroy has completed the renovation of a”simple” house and studio in Mexico for himself and his family that is integrated with an adjacent garden.
Godefroy and his partner renovated a former residence, focusing on the home’s orientation towards the site’s pre-existing greenspace.
Ludwig Godefroy has completed a house and studio for himself and his family in Mexico”Casa SanJe is a very simple project,” said Godefroy. “The main idea behind the project was to reconnect the house with its garden, opening large windows everywhere on the ground floor. In and out are always connected in this house.”
Almost half of the square site is dedicated to the garden, while the other half contains the architect’s residence.
It is organized around the site’s substantial garden”Casa SanJe was an ordinary Mexican house from the ’80s, without any style, a simple house with tiles on the floor and texturized plaster finishing on the walls,” said Godefroy.The architect replaced the former materials with concrete, wood and tezontle – a red volcanic stone – to “calm down the atmosphere of the house”.
Godefroy renovated a house originally built in the 80sThe ground level of the home contains two entrances protected by iron doors.
A car park sits adjacent to the building’s first entrance, which is accessed through a patio populated with stone, planting beds and a concrete and brick sculpture.
The ground floor contains large windows and doors that open directly into the gardenA second entrance is located further into the garden and leads to a vestibule space at the centre of the ground-level plan.
The interior program circulates around the vestibule, with the kitchen, dining area and living room located opposite the architect’s studio and library.
It is made of concrete with wood and stone elementsThe kitchen and studio spaces were pushed along the back wall of the house, with slim windows placed periodically among cabinets and shelves.
On the side opposite, Godefroy installed large doors and windows that open the living room directly into the garden.
Furniture like a dining table and shelving was also made of concreteMuch of the interior furniture was made of caste concrete, like the living room sofa, the dining table, side tables, kitchen shelving and an island. And some are built directly into the floor.
Godefroy’s studio also contains concrete shelving and a concrete desk that runs along the wall.
A wall clad in volcanic stone rungs along the back of the houseIn the same space, a wall was clad in warm wood panels, while a vaulted ceiling sits above the architect’s desk. A chimney sits adjacent.
Like some of Godefroy’s previous projects, geometric openings were cut into interior walls.Ludwig Godefroy creates “habitable gardens” using massive skylights in Mexico
An exposed wall made of red volcanic stone runs along the back wall of the house.
Located between the kitchen and living room, a wooden staircase leads to the second floor, which contains bedrooms and a primary bath.
The architect’s studio opens onto the entrance patioThe primary bath contains a sunken, circular cutout in the floor, with multiple shower heads for bathing.
In one corner, a spigot drops water onto a stepped feature.
An upstairs bathroom features a circular, sunken floorConcrete was used for the ceiling, walls and floor.
Native plants were placed throughout the house, with a large semi-circle planter made of concrete placed above the house’s entrance.
“We wanted the space to become timeless, out of any trend or decoration, just made out of simple material, able to get old instead of getting damaged under the action of time,” said the architect.
Godefroy recently completed a number of projects in and around Mexico City, including a brutalist cube-shaped home and a hotel that recalls the design of an Oaxacan temple.
The photography is by Edmund Sumner.Read more: More
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London apartment features fish and chip shop-informed kitchen
A steel kitchen that references London’s many fast food shops takes centre stage in this apartment designed by local studio Holloway Li for its co-founder Alex Holloway, which also has a bathtub in the living room.
Located in north London’s Highbury, the apartment is set in a converted Victorian house and was renovated to create a home-cum-photography-studio for Holloway and his partner Elle Parmar Jenkins, founder of vintage furniture store Goods In.
The apartment includes a custom-built stainless steel kitchenHolloway Li sought to update the single-storey space while also maintaining many of its original features.
Part of this process included removing the master bedroom entirely to create an open-plan living space from what were originally separate rooms, and adding two extra windows to illuminate this interior.
Holloway Li looked to local fast-food shops to create this design”We exposed and retained the original timber verge beam keeping all the screws and not cleaning it up at all,” said Holloway, who founded the studio with Na Li in 2018.“We wanted to express the formation of the external butterfly roof internally by opening up the ceilings to show the vaulted geometry internally,” he told Dezeen.
This triple-aspect living space contains a striking kitchen clad in circle-brushed stainless steel with a curved splashback that takes cues from the kebab and fish and chip shops that Holloway grew up surrounded by in London, according to the designer.
Pink and orange accents feature throughout”A lot of our studio work often fuses aspects of what people might consider ‘low culture’ with a more high-brow aesthetic,” said Holloway, who explained that the kitchen was not created as a parody, but rather intends to honour the materials found in fast food outlets.
“This is what London is – a mix of high and low always across the road from one another. It’s part of what makes it interesting, and having grown up here it was important to add those vernacular visual flavours into the space,” he added.
“Also, I hadn’t seen that material [circle-brushed steel] used in a domestic setting before so I knew it would be unique.”
A bathtub was inserted into the living spaceThe studio chose a neutral colour palette interrupted with pops of vibrant colours such as orange and blue, which was led by the rosy-hued exposed plaster walls that frame the space.
Breaking with tradition, Holloway decided to insert a bathtub into the living space where the master bedroom used to be to make use of its panoramic natural light and to add an alternative touch to the apartment.
The same resin used to create the dining table top is found in the bathroomIt is positioned next to a bespoke timber Holloway Li desk and a vintage Eames office chair that Parmar Jenkins uses when she works from home, while light-hued Douglas fir flooring and chunky geometric sconce lights add to the warm interior.
Other furniture pieces by the studio include a chubby orange armchair that Holloway Li launched at this year’s London Design Festival in collaboration with Uma Objects as well as the dining table and a shower screen that were both formed from a gridded resin off-cut salvaged from a previous project.Ten self-designed homes by architects and designers
Holloway’s favourite element of the apartment is “the windows and reflections,” he said. “It is very rare to have a room in a Victorian terrace that has windows on three out of four of its sides.”
“The kitchen in turn – on the old side that doesn’t have a window – reflects the opposite windows so it actually feels like you are surrounded by light,” he added.
Colours in the living space are also hinted at in the apartment’s one bedroomThis apartment is not the first of Holloway Li’s interior designs that intend to directly respond to their contexts.
Previously, the studio dressed the Wunderlocke hotel in Munich in hues that nod to the paintings of the late Munich-based painter Wassily Kandinsky, while it designed bathroom brand Coalbrook’s showroom with industrial materials that echo the building’s original function as a tobacco-pipe factory.
The photography is by Edmund Dabney.Read more: More
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Ten self-designed homes by architects and designers
For our latest lookbook, we’ve collected ten homes from the Dezeen archive that were self-designed by architects and designers including John Pawson, Sarah Wigglesworth and Alan Maskin. More
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Life Meets Art book offers glimpse inside homes of leading creatives
Norman Foster’s lofty dining room and the tactile living space of Faye Toogood are among the home interiors revealed in author Sam Lubell’s new book, Life Meets Art.Life Meets Art was curated by Lubell to “reveal a new side” to over 200 of the world’s best-loved creatives by offering a glimpse inside their private spaces.
The homes of both notable and lesser-known architects, designers, musicians, poets and artists from across six different centuries and more than thirty countries are also shown – many for the first time.Top: Richard Neutra’s former home features in the book. Above: Life Meets Art by Sam Lubell
“It started with the people, the world’s most talented, interesting, original, and in some cases strange artists, architects, writers, musicians, and more,” Lubell told Dezeen.
“We knew we wanted to reveal a new side to these creatives, but we also wanted a lot of surprises, people and places that people might not have heard of.”
“All the spaces are reflections of their owners”
According to Lubell, one of the most significant discoveries in the book is how “all the spaces are reflections of their owners”.
“There’s this phenomenal feedback loop between a creative person and their living space,” he explained.John Pawson offers a look inside his minimalist home and studio
“Their experience inspires their art, which inspires their home, which inspires their art, which inspires their experience, and so on,” he continued.
“Every square inch is fueled with a creative vision that manifests in entirely different ways. We learn how they’ve shaped their homes, and how their homes have shaped them. It’s almost like peeking inside someone’s body.”
“The homes of designers have most influence on residential design trends”
Lubell believes Life Meets Art also encapsulates the extent of the influence that architects and designers have had on residential interiors.
According to Lubell, this “trend rolls through history”, and is evident in homes ranging all the way from Charles Moore postmodernist dwelling in Texas to the minimalist London residence of John Pawson.
“I think the homes of architects and designers had the most influence on residential design trends,” Lubell explained.
“This makes sense because that’s their speciality, and in many cases, their homes were opportunities to experiment with and advocate for entirely new design philosophies.”
Read on for Dezeen’s pick of 10 designer homes in the book:La Voile, France
One of the most notable contemporary architects to feature in the book is Pritzker Prize-winning architect Foster, with his La Voile residence that he created within a 1950s tower on the French Riviera.
The building was carved out to create an open, futuristic interior, with a series of balconies overlooking a white-walled dining room and a living room at its heart.Toogood/Gibberd Residence, UK
Toogood’s minimalist home, which she shares with Modern House co-founder Matt Gibberd, is located in a 1960s house in London by Swiss architect Walter Segal.
In her living room, pale bricks are used as a tactile backdrop to a number of pared-back furnishings that range from her own pill-shaped coffee table to playful geometric tapestries.Cabin at Longbranch, USA
American architect Jim Olsen created this stilted woodland house for himself at the age of 18 and remodelled it several times since.
The dwelling is characterised by its exposed-wood framework and large windows, captured here in this seating area, which is designed to retain focus on the home’s natural surroundings.Rainbow Penthouse, UK
The vibrant and colourful home of Zandra Rhodes, aptly named Rainbow Penthouse, is an embodiment of the fashion designer’s trademark style.
Located on top of London’s Fashion and Textile Museum, which she also owns, the penthouse apartment is filled with colour-blocked surfaces and adorned with her personal art collection.Finn Juhls Hus, Denmark
Modernist furniture and artwork fill every space of Finn Juhl’s former home in Ordrup. This includes the living room, photographed above, within which his Chieftan lounge chair takes centre stage.
In the book, Lubell describes the dwelling as a “perfect example of how Juhl weighed interior design and architecture equally”.Moore/Andersson Compound, USA
The final home of late Charles Moore, which he created for himself was in Texas, perfectly captures the bold postmodernist style for which he is best known.
Life Meets Art spotlights the dwelling’s main living area, which is crammed full with decorative pilasters, a collection of toys, colourful ceramics and statues of kachina dolls.Villa E-1027, France
Furniture is the focus throughout Villa E-1027, the former clifftop home of modernist designer Eileen Gray that is now open to the public in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Life Meets Art homes in on its main living room, which features her the iconic Bibendium chair and the glass and steel E-1027 side table.Rashid Residence, USA
This gallery-like kitchen and dining room forms part of industrial designer Karim Rashid’s four-bedroom townhouse in Manhattan.
White walls and floors form a backdrop to bright finishes that range from a luminous lime-hued backsplash to a multi-coloured carpet that echoes Rashid’s joyful approach to design.Juan O’Gorman House-Studio, Mexico
Located just outside Mexico City is the home of the late architect, painter and muralist Juan O’Gorman, which he built for himself in 1933. It is positioned close to La Casa Azul, the dwelling he created for Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo.
Today it is owned by artist Paulina Parlange, who has teamed its bright, light-filled finishes with an eclectic mix of furnishings, murals and patterned textiles.Neutra VDFL Research House, USA
Large glazed walls that frame views of a neighbouring reservoir line the Neutra VDFL Research House – the former home of modernist architect Richard Neutra.
Lubell selected the dwelling for the book in recognition of its innovative, mid-century design, which he describes as “strikingly ahead of its time”.
Photography is courtesy of Phaidon.Read more: More
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Ben Allen completes overhaul of his own home in east London
Artworks by Olafur Eliasson informed architect Ben Allen’s revamp of his two-storey maisonette in London’s Bethnal Green, which features mirrored furniture elements.The maisonette is set inside Keeling House, a 16-storey residential block that was designed by English architect Denys Lasdun in 1957.
Reflective artworks by Olafur Eliasson are presented in the home’s stairwell
The founder of Studio Ben Allen and his wife decorated their home’s interior with an array of personal possessions so that it looks like a cabinet of curiosities.
Amongst these possessions are a number of optical artworks gifted by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, whom Allen worked for over a 10-year period.Oval mirrored side tables have been placed beside the bed
Several of the artworks are crafted from glass or mirror, and this prompted Allen to incorporate reflective elements in other spaces throughout the home.
The architect was also inspired by the round convex mirrors that appear in London’s Sir John Soane Museum, which playfully skew how visitors perceive the exhibition rooms.The bedroom’s vanity table is also mirrored
A pair of oval mirrored side tables feature in the bedroom that’s located on the maisonette’s upper floor.
Another mirrored panel has been mounted on the wall to form the backing of a vanity table, which boasts a semi-circular brass ledge where jewellery, perfume bottles and other trinkets can be displayed.
The bedroom has otherwise been simply finished with white-painted walls, larch wardrobes and exposed-wired lighting fixtures.More mirrors have been affixed to the bathroom’s cabinet and walls
In the bathroom, half-moon-shaped mirrors have been affixed to the doors of a storage cabinet, which sits directly above a bespoke green-concrete sink.
The image of the sink is repeated in an arched mirror on an adjacent wall.The bathroom’s hardware is made from gold-hued brass
Surfaces are clad with jade-green tiles, while taps, spouts and the tubular shower head are made from brass. Perforated shutters have also been installed in front of the windows to allow just a little amount of natural light to seep through from the outdoors.
“We wanted the bathroom to be purposefully darker to contrast with the brightness of the rest of the flat and to imbue it with a sense of refuge,” Allen explained.Studio Ben Allen makes Room for One More inside Barbican flat
At this level of the house, there’s additionally a study that has a green cushioned daybed and a larch work table.
A study with larch-wood joinery is on the home’s upper floor
Most of Eliasson’s art pieces can be seen in the maisonette’s stairwell, displayed alongside arched mirror shelves that hold candles or tiny architectural models.
Steps lead down to the lower floor, where Allen has exclusively applied a selection of “robust” materials which are meant to age well over time.
“[Materials] have also been chosen to give a sense of tactile warmth both when the flat is flooded with daylight, as well as on overcast days and at night,” added Allen.Downstairs is the kitchen, which features a green-concrete counter
The kitchen, for example, has oak cupboards and a green-concrete countertop. A grey-tile splashback is dotted with brass pegs where crockery or cooking utensils can be hung.
Just opposite there’s a book-lined sitting room complete with a black leather sofa and a cosy oak seating nook that doubles-up as a storage box.A tall shelving unit separates the kitchen from the sitting room
To loosely divide these two spaces, Allen and his team have erected a trellis-style shelving unit that stretches from floor to ceiling. A small work desk can be pulled out from the blue fibreboard drawers that sit at the unit’s base.
The presence of the unit acts as a small homage to architect Lasdun, who had originally designed the flats inside Keeling House with galley kitchens that were separate from the sitting rooms.
This was changed in the 1990s when, at risk of demolition, the building was completely revamped to feature minimal, open-plan living areas.The sitting room includes a cosy window nook
Expansive panels of glazing look through to the maisonette’s balcony, where Allen has added a planter filled with wild grass and a Rhus Typhina tree. Beyond lies views of Hampstead Heath park and the city of London.
Allen established his self-titled studio in 2014 and has since gone on to complete a number of projects. Just last year, the studio created an artichoke-shaped garden room for a home in southwest London, and renovated a Barbican flat to include colourful fold-out furniture.
Photography is by French + Tye.
Project credits:
Architects: Studio Ben Allen (Team: Ben Allen and Marco Nicastro)Main contractor: Sullivan and CompanyBalcony and window planting scheme design: Todd Longstaffe-GowanRead more: More
Architect John Wardle renovates his own house in Australia
The founder of John Wardle Architects has remodelled Kew Residence, his Melbourne home of 25 years, using Victorian ash and handmade glazed tiles from Japan.John Wardle and his wife Susan have owned the two-storey house, which has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 house interior of the year, for a quarter of a decade and renovated it multiple times.
Wardle has owned Kew Residence for 25 years
“My first year of practice coincided with my first year of homeownership,” he told Dezeen.“I undertook the pre-purchase inspection of the house and completely missed the tell-tale sign of termite infestation throughout which required a more substantial re-build than first anticipated!” he added.
“Three children wore out the last iteration.”Victorian ash lines the walls, floors and ceilings
With the couple’s adult children now grown up and moved out, the kitchen and the first-floor study became the focal point of the house. For this version of Kew Residence, the architect focused on creating spaces to display his art collection.
“Of particular interest to me is the study especially during this time in lockdown, as I spend just about all my daylight hours solely in this space,” said Wardle.
Here, built-in shelves form an informal display for the couple’s collection of ceramic art and sculpture.Built-in bookshelves line the study
Victorian ash clads the floors and ceiling to create the sensation of a “cocoon” with views of the leafy garden beyond.
“The corner window arrangement is a direct reference to a composition of the window seat in the living room of the Fisher House in Pennsylvania by Louis Kahn,” explained the architect.
“My arrangement of five windowpanes, ventilation panel and a window seat is abstracted from the original as I’ve arranged them around my view out across Melbourne.”The architect collects Japanese sculptures
The wood also forms plinths for displaying certain sculptures and acts as a neutral backdrop for the art displayed on shelves.
“For many years I’ve had a fascination for ceramics both as objects and the process of their making and have collected many objects from many places over time,” said the architect.
“My travels to Japan have resulted in many of my favourite pieces.”The staircase is also made from Victorian ash
Concealed sliding panels, discrete hand pulls and hidden cupboards conceal storage throughout Kew Residence.
Wardle designed the joinery, including the built-in bookcases and main staircase, himself and had it built by expert craftspeople.Wood and ceramic tiles in the kitchen
His choice of timber, Victorian ash, is the main material used throughout the house.
“I’ve always had an affinity for this beautiful primary indigenous species,” said Wardle.
“Vast forests of this majestic tree were decimated in bushfires here in Australia earlier this year, unfortunately. It’s not something I would feel confident in specifying again until substantial regrowth occurs.”Grooved tiles form a tall splashback in the kitchen
The timber features in the kitchen too, alongside dark and striking ceramic tiles made by INAX in Japan. These narrow, concave tiles have been arranged vertically to create an interestingly textured splashback that reaches to the wood-lined ceiling.
INAX tiles also line the master bathroom, which was built in an earlier extension to Kew Residence.INAX tiles from Japan feature in the bathroom
Wardle has visited Tokoname, where the makers live, and Kew Residence features five different styles of the ceramic tiles.Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal winner John Wardle names 12 key projects from his career
“Our practice has a long association with INAX, the Japanese tile manufacturer, having used their tiles in the suspended gallery in our Phoenix project, as well as 60,000 plus individual tiles embedded into the concrete facade panels of our Melbourne Conservatorium project,” said Wardle.
“The ancestors of INAX produced the tiles so loved by Frank Lloyd Wright and his partners and used to great effect on the Imperial Hotel.”Five different kinds of tiles decorate the house
Phoenix Central Park, an arts venue designed jointly by John Wardle Architects and Durbach Block Jaggers, has also been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020.
Earlier this year Wardle was awarded the Gold Medal from the Australian Institute of Architects.
Photography is by Trevor Mein and Sharyn Cairns.
Project credits:
Architect: John Wardle ArchitectsProject director: John WardleModel maker and designer: Andrew WongPA: Luca VezzosiInterior Designer: Jeff Arnold, Elisabetta ZanellaConstruction: Overend ConstructionStructural Engineer: 4 Site EngineersBuilding Services Engineer: JWABuilding Surveyor: Sampson WongRead more: More
