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      Nicemakers renovates Swiss chalet interiors with mid-century modern furniture

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      In the village of Adelboden in Switzerland, Amsterdam-based Nicemakers has transformed the interiors of The Brecon, a hundred-year-old chalet, into a secluded retreat.

      The intention for the 18-room chalet, called The Brecon, was for it to be “like a high-end version of your own home,” Nicemakers head of design Lottie Lorenzetti told Dezeen. The studio wanted the hotel rooms to feel like guest rooms in someone’s home.
      Rooms at The Brecon have been styled to feel like guests are staying in “a home away from home””We set out from the very beginning with the intention of not creating another clean, minimal, Swiss hotel aesthetic,” Lorenzetti added.
      The client, hotel operator Grant Maunder, wanted to create “a hideaway which feels like a dream home”.
      Across the common spaces, 18 rooms and four suites of the boutique hotel, Nicemakers worked with Maunder to fulfil the brief by creating a series of intimate and characterful interiors with a domestic feel.

      On entry through a bespoke wooden revolving door, the open-plan lounge space progresses into dining and living areas, featuring a sofa tucked away in a secluded nook.
      A two-seater sofa is tucked in a dimly lit nook off the main living areaThe interiors throughout are decorated with wooden panelling and integrated bookshelves, free-standing lamps and mismatched mid-century modern furniture.
      Mantel pieces and coffee tables display a collection of objects, candles and incense holders, statement one-off ashtrays and magazines that were chosen to add to the domestic feel.
      Nicemakers worked with Amsterdam’s Bisou Gallery to select relevant and personal artworks for the walls of The Brecon.
      Coffee tables are filled with homely items like boardgames, candles and matchesTimber, stone, leather and wool, in an earthy palette chosen to complement the hotel’s mountain surroundings, have been used throughout the interior scheme.
      On the ground floor, Nicemaker placed a few casual breakfast tables by an open kitchen to evoke the sense of being a guest in someone’s spacious home.
      The spa, which has a sauna, steam and treatment rooms, and the infinity pool on the terrace looking down the valley to the Engstligen waterfalls, were finished at the scale of a generous private residence, the studio said.
      A crazy-paving entrance space leads through to the open kitchenThe unusual concept for the retreat – in a small town with several more traditional hotels – was executed with a mid-century modern design approach.
      The resulting interiors contrast with the traditional chalet style found in Switzerland.
      Other unusual design details include the repeated use of crazy paving indoors; in the elevators and entranceway, on bedroom balconies and around the pool area.
      Unusual paving has been used around the hotel interiors and exteriors”The crazy paving was a hugely labour-intensive design element – it took a long time to lay and needed a skilled person who came from Wales to do this,” Lorenzetti said.
      Continuing the family affair, all the ceramic crockery was handmade in Wales by Andréa Anderson, who is married to the client Grant Maunder.
      The rooms do not feature mini bar fridges, but rather a variety of cabinetsOriginally Nicemakers had plans for bespoke mini bar cabinets, bedside tables and the same armchairs in each room.
      However, the studio concluded this would have gone against the hotel’s domestic concept.
      “You wouldn’t have a mini bar fridge in your own guest room at home,” explained Lorenzetti.

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      This decision meant that – instead of using the same suite of bespoke elements throughout the hotel – individual items could be sourced and curated for each room.
      “[This] gave the rooms a much more collected, rather than manufactured, feel”, Lorenzetti said.
      An original fireplace was preserved in the new spa areaNicemakers’ design was also informed by some of the original elements from the 1950s and ’60s heyday of the building, which was originally built in 1914.
      Textured plaster, the original red mosaic tiles in the stairwell and the mottled glass all draw from the history of the site. A pre-existing fireplace in the spa was also preserved.
      Vintage and new items were sourced from all over Europe, especially vintage markets in Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and France.
      The palette of the scheme was chosen to reflect the natural surroundingsThe mix of patterns and details was intentional.
      “[We wanted] to imitate a collected mix of items, to steer away from the classic minimal and clean, expected, Swiss aesthetic”, Lorenzetti concluded.
      Other projects in Switzerland recently featured in Dezeen include a 1960s chalet in Zinal renovated by Giona Bierens de Haan Architectures and an extension to a school in Aeschi by Haller Gut Architekten.
      The photography is by Michael Sinclair.

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      Dawid Konieczny designs Warsaw apartment to have “the ease of a good hotel room”

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      Polish architect Dawid Konieczny has added mid-century modern elements to this Warsaw studio apartment, conceived to echo the compact size and sophistication of a hotel room.

      Set within an early 20th-century building clad in terracotta bricks, the apartment’s petite perimeter formed the basis for its interior design.
      Dawid Konieczny designed the apartment to mimic a hotel room”We’re talking about 30 square metres, so it’s kind of the size of a hotel room,” Konieczny told Dezeen.
      “I wanted to combine the ease of a good hotel room with the idea of a chic mid-century modern apartment.”
      The hallway features oak-panelled wallsThe hallway features sinuous walls covered in smooth oak panels, concealing subtle storage compartments that make the most of the apartment’s high ceilings.

      This entrance gives way to a single room that holds both private and public spaces and maintains the building’s original herringbone flooring.
      Veiny quartzite was applied to the kitchen countertopA boxy, stained oak and steel shelving cabinet separates the low-slung double bed from the dining area, where a bespoke rounded table is surrounded by a set of vintage Casala cantilever chairs upholstered in pinstriped fabric.
      “I hoped to express the soul of the 1970s,” explained Konieczny, who also placed a small abstract painting by Polish artist Tomek Opaliński above the dining table.
      Konieczny selected vintage cantilever chairs for the dining spaceOn the other side of the room is an open-plan kitchen with a caramel-hued countertop finished in veiny Palomino quartzite, illuminated by antique mid-century sconces Konieczny sourced specifically for the project.
      A sleek oven is tucked into one of the oak-panelled, space-saving walls.
      Pistachio-coloured tiles line the bathroomOpposite the bed, a pair of dusty mauve armchairs frame a squat coffee table, forming a small living space.
      “Thanks to quality materials and vintage furniture selections, the apartment has a timeless character,” said Konieczny.

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      Pistachio-coloured tiles line the bathroom, which is separate from the main space. Monochrome, basketweave flooring was chosen to complement the room’s retro standalone sink and built-in bathtub.
      “The idea was to create a warm and comfortable feeling for the apartment but with a classy vibe,” added the architect, who designed the home for a duo of Paris-based fashion photographers seeking a “cosy shelter in Warsaw” in between frequent travel.
      The apartment was designed for a pair of fashion photographersElsewhere in the Polish capital, interiors studio Mistovia incorporated walnut burl and terrazzo accents to another apartment while Noke Architects created a two-tone interior for an Italian bar.
      The photography is by Oni Studio.

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      Jens Quistgaard Around The Table celebrates legacy of “world-famous unknown Dane”

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      An exhibition during 3 Days of Design showcased the vast archive of Jens Quistgaard, who is one of Denmark’s most successful designers, despite being relatively unknown.

      Quistgaard, who passed away in 2008, was responsible for bringing Scandinavian design to homes across America.
      As chief designer for US-based homeware manufacturer and retailer Dansk Designs for three decades, he designed more than 4,000 objects, many distributed to hundreds of stores nationwide.
      Jens Quistgaard Around The Table showcased furniture and tableware by the late Danish designerQuistgaard’s name is nowhere near as well known as the products he designed, so his contribution to Danish design history is largely unrecognised.
      With Jens Quistgaard Around The Table, archive consultancy Form Portfolios hoped to promote a wider appreciation of this “world-famous unknown Dane”.

      The exhibition was on show at Form Portfolios’ Copenhagen office for 3 Days of Design.
      A dining table showcased many of the products Quistgaard developed for Dansk Designs”With his 30-year collaboration with Dansk, Quistgaard was the design genius behind the scenes of that seminal brand,” said Mark Masiello, CEO and founder of Form Portfolios.
      “He was more committed to bringing Scandinavian modern design into American homes than building his own design legacy,” he told Dezeen.
      Quistgaard’s series of sculptural peppermills was displayed on the wallQuistgaard was recruited in 1954 by Dansk Designs founders Martha and Ted Nierenberg, who were impressed by a cutlery set that the designer had previously developed.
      Many of the designs that Quistgaard produced for the brand were tableware and kitchenware, which is why Form Portfolios made a dining table the focal point of its exhibition.
      The designer developed more than 4,000 objects in his 30 years at Dansk DesignsThe table provided display space for dozens and dozens of Quistgaard-designed objects, including plates, cutlery, candleholders, glasses, cooking pots, jugs and more.
      Behind the table, rows of shelves accommodated a series of sculptural peppermills.

      Crafting the Present reveals manufacturing techniques behind mid-century furniture classics

      As the designs for which Quistgaard is most likely to be remembered, these turned-wood peppermills recall the shapes of familiar objects, from chess pieces to pieces of fruit.
      “The peppermill designs clearly show the love of sculpture that flows through Quistgaard’s work,” said Masiello.
      The exhibition was on show for 3 Days of Design”His daughter, Henriette Quistgaard, said he hoped the peppermills on their own could be the beginnings of great dinner conversations,” he stated.
      The exhibition also featured larger objects, including a handful of furniture designs. Masiello pointed to the Stokke Armchair (1965) and the Sculptors Chair (2004) as being particularly noteworthy.
      The Sculptors Chair was among the furniture works on display”I find his creative range so inspiring,” Masiello said. “Working with different materials and object types, he was always pushing his design practice to new frontiers.”
      “He is more well known for the kitchen objects, but he was always exploring other designs too, including chairs, stools and tables,” he continued.
      Many of the objects were sourced from Quistgaard’s former homeThe show was curated in collaboration with Stig Guldberg, author of the monograph Jens Quistgaard: The Sculpting Designer, which was published by Phaidon in 2023.
      Many of the exhibits were sourced from the home where the designer spent his final years, a farmhouse on the outskirts of Copenhagen where Henriette Quistgaard still lives today.
      Original sketches featured alongside the objects”My father was a visionary of design, bridging the old world of craftsmanship into the new world of manufacturing,” Henriette said.
      “It is thrilling to see the full body of his life’s work being shown.”
      Jens Quistgaard Around the Table was on show from 12 to 14 June as part of 3 Days of Design. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
      The photography is by Sofie Hvitved.

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      Crafting the Present reveals manufacturing techniques behind mid-century furniture classics

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      The 3 Days of Design exhibition from Danish furniture brand Fredericia reveals how iconic designs by Hans J Wegner and Børge Mogensen have been subtly adapted in line with today’s standards.

      On show at the Fredericia headquarters in Copenhagen, Crafting the Present showcases the craft processes, tools and makers behind the brand’s furniture.
      Crafting the Present is on show for 3 Days of DesignCurated by designer Maria Bruun, the exhibition shows how designs including Wegner’s Ox Chair and Mogensen’s Spanish Chair have been carefully reworked in line with modern manufacturing technologies and environmental standards.
      Rasmus Graversen, CEO of Fredericia, believes it is important for design classics to move with the times.
      The exhibition reveals the processes behind designs including Hans J Wegner’s Ox Chair”We sometimes need to challenge the way we do things; something that was good 50 years ago isn’t necessarily good now,” he explained during a tour of the show.

      “If you don’t have a culture of craft in your company, you might think the way that something was done in the past is the only right way.”
      Leather upholstery techniques are showcased in the exhibitionGraversen, who is also the grandson of brand founder Andreas Graversen, wanted the exhibition to highlight how this culture of craft is at the heart of Fredericia’s approach.
      The company has a specialist upholstery workshop in Svendborg, south Denmark, a facility that was established by Erik Jørgensen in 1954 and acquired by Fredericia in 2020.
      The show includes live demonstrations from makersThe exhibition includes live demonstrations from both the workshop production team and from artisans at leather manufacturer Tärnsjö Garveri.
      Crafting the Present also showcases the tools used in these production processes, alongside models that reveal how the furniture pieces are assembled.
      “We wanted to showcase the talented craftsmen and women whose hands touch every piece of furniture,” Bruun said.
      “Here, craft is not a marketing gimmick. It is not a layer added onto the furniture afterwards. It is the heritage of this company and has an influence on everything.”
      Tools are presented alongside models”All of the tools you see are used for real,” added Graversen. “Nothing was picked just because it’s pretty.”
      “These are all used in the actual production; it’s an extraordinary experience to see what happens.”
      Rasmus Graversen, CEO of Fredericia, wanted to celebrate the brand’s culture of craftTextile curtains suspended from the ceiling provide a scenography that divides the space into different sections.
      Metal trolleys create multi-level displays, while larger models are raised up on trestles.
      The Maria Bruun-designed Pioneer stool provides seatingThe Pioneer, a design developed by Bruun for Fredericia in 2023, is also featured.
      Dotted through, the stool provides seating so that visitors can spend time watching the artisans at work.
      Crafting the Present is on show for of 3 Days of Design, which takes place in Copenhagen from 12 to 14 June. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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      The Hoxton Vienna offers “contemporary take on the Wiener Werstätte arts and craft movement”

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      AIME Studio’s interiors for the latest outpost of The Hoxton hotels, in a renovated marble-clad 1950s office building in Vienna, celebrate arts and crafts and post-war modernism.

      Creative studio AIME Studio has converted the former administration building of the Chamber of Commerce in Vienna, which was originally designed by architect Carl Appel, into The Hoxton Vienna.
      The building now features 196 rooms, a rooftop bar and swimming pool, a restaurant, cocktail bar, a private apartment and an auditorium for events and programming.
      The lobby of the hotel, which was previously an office building, features original travertine wallsBy focussing on mid-century Austrian design, the hotel aims to show guests a less classical side of what is often considered a traditional European city.
      Appel was known for shaping the “Second Ringstrasse” style of the post-war reconstruction period, which the studio referenced in its design.

      “Our aim was to create a design that respected the building’s history and to preserve the architectural style of the 1950s,” AIME Studios’ Aaron Gibson told Dezeen.
      The Hoxton Vienna is filled with mid-century design details”We visited buildings in Vienna designed by Carl Appel and renowned Austrian architects of the early 20th-century – like Adolph Loos and Otto Wagner – which inspired the interiors for The Hoxton Vienna,” Gibson added.
      The double-height lobby of The Hoxton Vienna preserves key features and details from Appel’s original 1950s design.
      The bedroom’s feature geometric patterned fabrics and soft furnishingsThe mid-century finishes of stones and metals in the original office building set a neutral and semi-industrial context for the renovation.
      “We deliberately used the key features and details from Carl Appel’s original design for the architecture and the interior as a basis for our decision-making throughout the ground floor,” the studio said.
      The hotel has a ground-floor restaurant that continues the design themesAIME Studios also worked with The Federal Monuments Authority Austria, which enforces the Monument Protection Act in order to explore, protect and maintain Austria’s cultural heritage.
      Together they selected furniture items for the hotel which reflect the 1950s, including light fittings, armchairs, sofas, and even the fabrics and textiles used in the space.
      Just off the main lobby there is a small cafe bar”We inherited amazing existing features like the large format terrazzo flooring, travertine walls and corrugated aluminium columns, which are all great examples of 1950s architecture,” AIME told Dezeen.
      The interior scheme complements the existing restrained colour palette of the natural stones’ soft hues of green-grey, beige and blue tones.
      The rooftop bar and pool area adopts a more contemporary designThe studio also took inspiration from the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese workshops), one of the longest-lived design movements of the 20th century and a key organisation for the development of modernism.
      Centred in the Austrian capital, it bridged traditional methods of manufacture and avant-garde aesthetics.
      In the bedrooms, geographic patterned curtains are influenced by iconic Werkstätte fabrics and ruched headboards are inspired by Loos’ style.
      The auditorium is The Hoxton’s largest events space to date”We selected Viennese fabrics with restrained colours and quiet and small-scale patterns, demonstrating a contemporary take on the Wiener Werstätte arts and craft movement,” Gibson explained.
      Besides the usual hotel program of rooms and restaurants, The Hoxton Vienna features a large auditorium designed in a 1950s palette of pale yellow and blue with mid-century wood panelling, furniture and fittings.

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      The auditorium will host events like stand-up comedy, gigs and conferences, as part of the wider cultural programming of The Hoxton Vienna.
      The hotel also has a private “apartment,” which is an open-plan series of rooms across different levels, including kitchen, dining, sitting and meeting spaces.
      There is a speakeasy-style bar in the basementThe interiors of the apartment distil the essence of AIME Studios’ interior design at The Hoxton, with Wiener Werstätte patterns and colours, mid-century modernist furniture and light fittings, and artwork referencing the period.
      Other hotels from The Hoxton that have recently featured on Dezeen include their first opening in Germany with The Hoxton Charlottenburg in Berlin and the Ricardo Bofill-inspired The Hoxton Poblenou in Barcelona.
      Photography is by Julius Hirtzberger.

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      Dion & Arles creates “salon in which you can dine” for Il Gattopardo restaurant

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      French design and interiors studio Dion & Arles drew on the work of 20th-century Italian designers Carlo Mollino and Gio Ponti for the interior of Mayfair restaurant Il Gattopardo in London.

      “We envisioned Il Gattopardo to be a salon in which you can dine – not just a restaurant,” the designers told Dezeen.
      The studio looked to Mollino’s apartment in Turin for its balance between modernity and heritage.
      The inner dining room has curved crushed-velvet seating and a large fireplace”Modernity, heritage and sophistication are the three elements we think together define the Italian sensibility, which we tried to translate into the interiors,” Dion & Arles said.
      Il Gattopardo – which is Italian for leopard – is located in Mayfair in central London and aims to “celebrate the golden era of mid-century Italian design in an intimate setting” across five dining spaces, the studio said.

      The main dining room and crudo bar lead through to an inner dining area and second bar, which in turn reveals the intimate “salon”, or living room, which seats 10 people in soft-upholstered armchairs.
      Banquette seating is complemented by groupings of tables and chairsThere is a separate private dining room on the lower ground level.
      The salon room is characterised by crushed-velvet curved seating and a substantial fireplace featuring a bas-relief on its canopy.
      Tables are topped with sepia drawings after artist Piero Fornasetti, which complement the muted amber seating.
      Blue panthers feature on the walls in the entrance spaceIn the main dining room, banquette seating has been kept to a minimum, with tables and chairs otherwise arranged in close groupings.
      A signature leopard print motif appears on rugs, cushions and artworks in various tones ranging from amber to blue.
      “Each project should belong to its specific location,” the studio said.
      “We do not believe in cloning, as it gives the feeling of being everywhere, anywhere. We are trying to make people feel they are in a unique space that cannot be found anywhere else; ‘somewhere’ that belongs to ‘someone.”
      An Italian stone crudo bar sits in the corner of the dining roomThe spaces are decorated with an eclectic mix of free-form sculptures, objets, lamps, picture frames and carpets in vibrant colours.
      These “speak to the influence of the master of Italian flair, the interior designer and architect Gio Ponti,” the studio said.
      A striped fabric informed by the linings of Italian tailoring covers the ceiling. Panelled walls are intended to mimic the dashboard of a vintage Fiat coupé and, in the corner, Italian stone tops the crudo bar.

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      Informed by the eclectic, mix’n’match style of Mollino’s apartment, the private dining room – which features a leopard-print carpet from French interior designer Madeleine Castaing – was designed to feel like a secret refuge.
      “We see patterns as a variation of colour which add density to the palette,” the designers said. “We generally prefer to work with a small-scale pattern, which is less intrusive.”
      The private dining room has soft lighting diffused through fabricClassical sepia frescoes run around the wall of the private dining room above rich navy blue, textured fabric panels.
      Soft lighting is diffused through fabric resting between the ceiling beams, which was designed to mimic a sunset. An illuminated onyx bar adds to the warm lighting scheme.
      The crudo bar has a polished wood-panelled ceilingDesigning the interiors of Il Gattopardo was “a dream commission” the studio said, as it gave it the opportunity to work in a style the designers love.
      “We are always referring to earlier periods when every house and family inherited antique furniture and juxtaposed it with futuristic pieces,” the studio said.
      Reference points for the space also included project by interior designer David Hicks and movies by director Stanley Kubrick.
      “We don’t have rules and we like to take inspiration from great painters, as in most recent compositions by Peter Doig, or the way [Pedro] Almodóvar approaches colour in his films,” the studio added.
      “Everything can go together; bad or good taste is merely a place of refuge for under-confidence. Walking along the borders of taste is more exciting to us.”
      Other restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include GRT Architects’ “vacation Italian” restaurant in New York and Lorenzo Botero and Martín Mendoza’s conversion of a Bogotá residence into a brick-lined restaurant.
      The photography is by James McDonald.

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      Mid-century Zero House in London imbued with “Kubrick feel”

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      Timber ceilings and a fireplace clad in mahogany tiles feature in this London house, which its owners have renovated to honour the dwelling’s mid-century roots and nod to the colour palette of Stanley Kubrick films.

      Located in north London’s Stanmore, Zero House belongs to recording artists Ben Garrett and Rae Morris, whose former home in Primrose Hill is the Dezeen Award-winning Canyon House designed by Studio Hagen Hall.
      Zero House in Stanmore was built between 1959 and 1961Unlike their previous dwelling, Garrett and Morris updated Zero House themselves but adopted the same mid-century palette when creating its interiors.
      “The house was built between 1959 and 1961 by a Hungarian architect,” said Garrett, who explained that the original design was informed by Californian Case Study Houses such as Charles and Ray Eames’s 1949 home and design studio.
      The two-storey dwelling was renovated by its owners”It’s a great example of a number of imaginative mid-century domestic houses dotted around metro-land,” he told Dezeen. “Our main aim was to freshen it up relatively in keeping with the time but not to feel like we were living in a total time capsule.”

      The pair maintained the matchbox timber ceilings that run throughout the two-storey home, which were stained with a dark reddish tone alongside stained wooden doors.
      Slim mahogany tiles clad the floor-to-ceiling fireplaceSlim mahogany tiles clad the floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the living room, which features the same micro-cement flooring found at Canyon House and opens out onto a lush garden.
      Garrett and Morris also maintained the home’s many exposed brick walls and inserted geometric timber shelving that displays eclectic ornaments including amorphous vases and a colourful set of nesting dolls.
      The kitchen was panelled in light-hued timberReeded 1970s-style glass was used to form various windows including a rectilinear opening in the kitchen that illuminates minimal timber cabinetry topped with grainy surfaces.
      The pair transferred the tubular Marcel Breuer chairs and Tulip dining table by Eero Saarinen from their former home, as well as the same “heinous digital artwork” that decorated their previous living space.
      Darker tones create a “horror film” feel upstairsUpstairs, a moody mahogany carpet darkens the main bedroom, which features the same timber wall and ceiling panels as the communal areas.
      “There’s a lot of dark reds and browns in the house,” said Garrett.
      “We leaned into the horror film slash Kubrick feel of the upstairs and made a few more austere choices this time,” he added, referencing the late filmmaker, whose credits include the 1980 supernatural horror movie The Shining.

      PW Architecture Office brings “a little excitement” back into mid-century Australian home

      Coffee-hued cork was chosen to clad the exterior of the bathtub and the surrounding walls while another walk-in shower interrupts the dark wooden theme with bright orange tiles and deep white basins.
      Zero House also holds a timber-panelled recording studio, which is located in a separate low-slung volume at the end of the garden and can be reached via a few stepping stones.
      Bright orange tiles were chosen for a walk-in showerGarrett and Morris left the structure of the property largely untouched. Instead, the duo chose to focus on dressing its mid-century interior.
      “We didn’t have to be clever with this house as the space is abundant and the flow and design were incredibly well thought out in the early 60s,” he said. “So it was more of a cosmetic thing.”
      There is a standalone recording studio in a shed at the back of the gardenOther recent mid-century renovation projects saw Design Theory update a coastal home in Perth from the 1960s while Woods + Dangaran added a koi pond among other elements to a Los Angeles dwelling built by architect Craig Ellwood during the same decade.
      The photography is by Mariell Lind Hansen.

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      PW Architecture Office brings “a little excitement” back into mid-century Australian home

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      Australian firm PW Architecture Office has revived the fortunes of this mid-century house in Orange, New South Wales, with a sensitive renovation that respects the original building while taking design cues from its material palette.

      Park Lane house was originally designed by noted Australian architect Neville Gruzman for the 1962 Carlingford Home Fair before being built in 1964 by construction company Kell & Rigby – known for its work on Sydney’s landmark Grace Building.
      PW Architecture Office has renovated a 1960s house by Neville GruzmanWhen Paddy Williams, founder of PW Architecture Office, discovered that the house was on the market in 2022, the team went to take a look out of architectural curiosity.
      The studio was immediately seduced by the sense of flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces of the 1964 house and the quality of the design, construction and materials, despite the fact that it had been through several unsympathetic renovations.
      Pergolas frame the entrance to the house”We loved the sense of arrival created by the pergolas and colonnade that lead you past the garden and pond into the entrance hall,” Williams said.

      “Pavilion-style wings separate the shared spaces from the private and we loved the way the pergolas wrap around the house and terraces, framing different spaces in the garden.”
      The home’s original Oregon timber beams were exposedThe practice ended up buying and renovating the house as a short-term rental for other modernist architecture lovers.
      “We felt a real sense of responsibility to do the project justice and retain the elements of the plan and materials as they were intended,” Williams said.
      “We wanted to bring a little excitement back into this mid-century marvel, as it would have had when it was first built.”
      A double-sided fireplace divides the living and dining areasFeeling that the floorplan still worked successfully, PW Architecture Office (PWAO) left it unchanged and set out to revive and celebrate the house’s original character while bringing it up to 21st-century living standards.
      “We’ve designed it to be a modern take on the mid-century aesthetic, with an immediate sense of relaxation and peace through a refined palette and connection between house and gardens,” Williams told Dezeen.
      Textural wood wool panels clad the walls in the living roomRemoving the worn-out carpets revealed the home’s original Australian cypress floorboards, which were sanded and polished to freshen them up.
      Elsewhere, PWAO replaced vinyl flooring with “durable and low-maintenance” micro-cement in the smaller living room, kitchen and some bathrooms.

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      In the main living room, false ceilings were taken out to expose the original Oregon timber beams, now infilled with hardwood timber and tiled bulkheads.
      “When we pulled down the badly damaged plasterboard, the beams were in such great condition and had a beautiful texture so we decided to keep them on show,” Williams said.
      “This also allowed us to increase the height of the ceiling and play with the scale and rhythm of the beams.”
      Micro-cement was used to finish some of the floorsIn the panelled entrance hall, the original native blackbean timber needed only a little care to restore its rich varied tones, also seen on the doors throughout the house.
      Elsewhere PWAO used acacia as a feature timber for panelling and detailing across headboards, stair treads and integrated shelving.
      “We’ve used these acacia elements in a playful pattern,” the studio said. “They’re in an ongoing conversation with the original blackbean timber used around the house.”
      Terracotta tiles nod to the home’s original material paletteIn the larger living space, a double-sided fireplace helps to zone the living and dining areas, while the walls were clad in textural wood wool panels – a composite made from recycled timber fibres.
      “It is actually a thermal and acoustic panel, typically used for ceilings,” Williams said. “We thought it was a fabulous opportunity to provide texture on the walls.”
      Similar warm terracotta tones also feature in the bedroomThroughout the house, terracotta tiles add to the sense of warm earthiness established through the material palette.
      “The mosaic tiles were influenced by the original terracotta tiles in the entrance foyer,” the architect explained. “The smaller grids we’ve used are in contrast to the larger original terrace tiles, as well as the grid of the house itself, creating a play on scale.”
      When the wiring was replaced, PWAO also had the opportunity to integrate the house with smart home technology, allowing the lights, heating, fans and irrigation to be controlled via an app, balancing modernist aesthetics with modern convenience.
      The bathroom was designed to matchDezeen recently rounded up eight other mid-century home renovations that marry period and contemporary details.
      Among them was another 1960s Australian house with interiors updated by local studio Design Theory for a young client and her dog.
      The photography is by Monique Lovick.

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