Tabla de contenidos para Habitus #60 en Habitus

THE BEATING HEART It is a delight to be sharing the love of design as Guest Editor of this Kitchen and Bathroom issue of Habitus. As the first of a series of six collectable issues, it is a joy to begin the series. At Arent & Pyke, we believe there is an alchemy at play in the best of spaces. All of the elements — volume, texture, light and colour, architecture and object, combine to create something truly special, that is greater than the sum of its parts. When it comes to the kitchen (p. 76), we are in our most elemental of places. It is the heart and soul of how we live and really what it means to be at home. Whether the kitchen is for one or…

“To look critically at what you have, and ask, what is the right thing to do? What does this place need and what can it bear. How to take a thoughtful approach.” Placing an emphasis on the landscape and the integration of a building, nestled synergistically into its surrounds with clarity and a lightness of touch speaks to an architect who designs not only places for living, where client comfort is at the forefront, but who truly respects place and the impact humans can have. Growing up in country New South Wales where a natural affinity with the Australian landscape began, Moloney reflects on how he came to be an architect, “I was always interested in buildings as a nerdy, bookish child.” He expands, “Later, I figured out there was…

LOCATION DHARAWAL COUNTRY, NSW SOUTH COAST, AUSTRALIA Deliciously curving, tranquil and calm, the hai lang, (meaning wave in Mandarin) of this coastal home is undulating and supportive, gentle and serene. With family living on the ground floor and family and guest rooms on the first floor, the attic level has been given over entirely as the primary retreat. For this beautiful suite of rooms, a uniquely curved ceiling has been formed above the Venetian microcement-clad walls very subtly illuminated by LED strip lighting. Engineered oak floors bring a golden warmth that is gently picked up in the gold and silver flecks of the microcement and blonde timber veneer of the curving joinery. Taking this luxurious materiality a step further are details in copper, brass, and gold. Taking a minimalist approach…

“We don’t have to compromise on cooking and that is important”– Adam Haddow Designed by exemplar practice SJB, and with a 30sqm footprint and just 69sqm of living space, every element needed to be precise. Wanting a sustainable choice that performed to an exceptionally high level, Adam and husband selected a V-ZUG CombairSteamer V6000 with an induction cooktop and modular integrated extraction for its ability to perform, “Even though it’s in a small kitchen, it’s still a full-size oven. We don’t have to compromise on cooking and that is important. You should be able to live in an amazing small house, but still have it perform as a big house, if not better.” In particular the intuitive function has been a revelation of choices “There is just a huge amount…

PROJECT MG HOUSE ARCHITECT WILLIAMS BURTON LEOPARDI LOCATION KAURNA COUNTRY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA Williams Burton Leopardi’s MG House — arareVictorian-eragem nestled within the inner eastern suburbs of Adelaide - stands as witness what ethos, where the original footprint is retained and replanned, repurposing the heritage home as a potential multiple-occupancy dwelling. David Burton, Director of Architecture at Williams Burton Leopardi (WBL), reflects on an approach that was all encompassing: “The whole project revolved around a consideration of its time, how it needed to be respectful of its age and its scale, and how it is a building that needed to also be responsive to its site and footprint,” says Burton, adding “and our proposal had to embrace a sense of history, and avoid merely adding bulk to the rear of the…

SARAH-JANE PYKE Sarah-Jane understands the necessity for interiors to be authentically mindful of place and those who inhabit them. Her concepts are clever, not tricky, and her meticulous approach to carving space is underpinned by a sensual elegance that enhances volume and natural light. Sarah-Jane’s design outcomes are beautifully sumptuous given their focus upon tactile elements. Possessing an eye for unexpected pairings – most notably manifesting in engaging curations of artworks with prized objects and furnishings – her work translates into equal parts fresh, visceral and functional, above all else sparking enquiry and eliciting delight. INNER SANCTUM # 76 GILLIAN SERISIER As the newly appointed Editor of Habitus magazine, Gillian puts her twenty plus year of experience towards informed and interesting commentary across all aspects of architecture, art, design and…

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Travers relocated to Australia in late 2003, and has since held a succession of leadership roles in organisations including City of Melbourne, Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia), Critical Path and The British Council. Speaking six languages and holding a First Class Honours degree from Cambridge University, her first career was initially in international business. Travers notes, “I grew up in a completely non-artistic household and in Glasgow at a time when art was not part of the culture.” After a while, she realised it was not for her and undertook an Arts Management post-graduate degree. With periods of time overseas spanning visual and performing arts in cities including Brussels and London amongst others, it was her time in Berlin that was most meaningful.…

“We like to think of the island as a piece of furniture. Often it is the intermediary between the kitchen and the cooking zone and a family living or dining zone.”—Sarah-Jane Pyke Gillian Serisier: Sarah-Jane, I’m going to jump straight in here, Arent&Pyke has often been referred to as the Queens of Kitchen design, but where do you begin? Sarah-Jane Pyke: It’s hard to know where to start with a kitchen, but coming to my mind as essential are the comforts. Banquettes are probably not where everyone would start but they have great importance in terms of the comfort of the family. It’s the casual dining, and the warm invitation of a textile of fabric that invites you to come and sit with the family. I also think the built-in…

LOCATION LAND OF THE BOONWURRUNG PEOPLE OF THE KULIN NATION/MORNINGTON PENINSULAR VICTORIA With a focus on detail, craft and authenticity, the grand scale and ornate details of this 1860’s Victorian homestead are celebrated through a new lens. Approaching Mim Design with a view to modify the layout to suit the demands of contemporary family life, the bathrooms of Dawn House are effortlessly elegant. Taking advantage of the spectacular views of the primary bathroom, the bath is sited as a piece of stand-alone furniture to emphasise both the scale of the room and the view outwards. Nuanced and subtle, the seeming white on white palette, is rich with the tonal shifts of marble, the gleam of glazed tiles, the matte surface of the lighting, the texture of the curtains and the…

LOCATION DHARAWAL COUNTRY/NSW SOUTH COAST Allowing the architecture and panoramic beach views to take centre stage, this beautifully designed home follows principals of Feng Shui design for flow and an all-pervading sense of calm. Designed for an extended family and pets, it was important that the home serve as a tranquil sanctuary, cocooning every room in a sense of safety and warmth, promising a calming presence for years to come. Taking a minimalist approach to the design, the distinctive curves and architectural engineering are beautifully realised as large swathes of materiality. Large swathes of minimal finely textured surface are paired with areas of texture and rhythm, while colour is introduced in blocks of metallic warmth such as the rosy copper exhaust surround and the bling of a gold tap. The…

SYDNEY COVE HOUSE ARENT & PYKE TULLAGA COUNTRY/DAWES POINT The history of this home charts the changes to a culturally significant workers’ precinct – from industrial and maritime life to residential development, bubonic plague in the early 1900s, reclamation of land and dwellings by the Sydney Harbour Trust, the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the transfer of large swathes of the area to the Department of Housing in the 1980s, and then the release of property to the private market in the 2010s. The house now belongs to a prominent doctor and her husband, with three children, one in final year at school and two at university who visit from time to time. By contemporary Sydney real estate standards, it’s a modest building – a small footprint with just…

PROJECT LITTLE MORE HOUSE ARCHITECT MEGARCHITECTS LOCATION BUNURONG COUNTRY/SHOREHAM, VICTORIA “Whilst three bedrooms, the home is compact in footprint, a private sanctuary hidden away.” Little More House grew out of a desire for a more simplistic life for owners Matt and Jenny Westle and their two children, ages 4 and 7 (the founders of Sawsee, the Westles purchased the 606sqm block with a look to create an intimate family home) Jeni says, “Our main goal was to create a home that felt like being on holiday everyday – simple, relaxed and fun. We have stayed in some incredible short-stay accommodation in the region and loved how we lived in smaller-scale places.” Assembling a dream-team of local creatives including Michael Graham, Principal of MEGArchitects, Loam Landscapes and Melbourne-based interior designer Kim…

BAY HOUSE ARENT & PYKE Tasked with bringing life to what was effectively a beautiful, if rigid, apartment in all the wrong shades of brown, Arent & Pyke have created a design language of form and texture, where surface patterns and tactility add layers of patterned nuance and detail. Designing with their client’s occupation as a geologist in mind, stone in particular has been selected with daring and an eye for interesting combinations. The highly figured and verdantly dense Guatemala green marble of the powder room vanity for example is gorgeously rich. Designed as a large swathe of vanity and splash back with a footing detail, the marble is effectively separated by the front panels of Bottlebrush green joinery. The material shift, and slight pause in colour intensity gives the…

JO WALKER Melding traditional techniques with modernist architectural influences, the work of Jo Walker features tactile clay manipulation and a signature sgraffito method to yeild striking visual contrasts and intricate detailing. The surface becomes a canvas for geometric patterns, the clean and simple forms visually engaging and thoughtfully crafted. Collect Group Shot. Photo Shannon Tofts. JO MCDONALD Using second-hand books as an alternative medium to wool and thread, Jo’s experimental weaving is a process of de- and re-construction. Concerned with storytelling and the shared experience, the objects contain traces of the past: fingerprints, dedications, scribbled notes. Tales of the Unexpected(detail). Photo Jo McDonald. craftscotland.org RICHARD GOLDSWORTHY Since a debilitating back injury that compelled Goldsworthy to explore the fusion of materials, the maker has worked in wood and cast metal as…

Every time we step foot into the kitchen, chances are we’re going to be using the sink. Whether we’re filling up our water bottles, preparing our fruit and vegetables, or washing up after a dinner party, our sinks are almost constantly in use, and yet they’re a part of kitchen designs that we don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about. German brand BLANCO is about to change that by understanding the sink area as a “hub”. Effectively, a functional vignette that incorporates a bowl, high-end mixer, waste systems and accessories. Aptly named the BLANCO UNIT, this is a fully coordinated system, an integrated and seamless solution set that can make a cumulative design statement with both colour and materiality. While solid stone benchtops and techy appliances have historically…

When astronauts first travelled into deep outer space, they experienced a phenomenon known as The Overview Effect. Whilst hurtling into the darkness, fixated on what was ‘out there’, there was an unexpected moment when they turned their gaze (and the cameras) back towards the earth. This 180º shift in perspective prompted, for those Apollo 8 astronauts, and many others, a new and momentous kind of self-awareness. In the journey of our lives, we are also often fixated on the external. Commitments to family, friends and work keep us tethered to timetables and duties with ever-decreasing opportunities to simply be. For some, the only true ‘me’ time is found in the bathroom. Even if for only 15 minutes, this is where have a window to rejuvenate, reflect – and sometimes even…

From Sydney to Singapore and everywhere in between, stone is often used as a feature in our homes. Whether it’s seen in bench tops, flooring, splashbacks, fittings or furniture, stone acts as a vehicle for adding softness, character, and dimension to our designs, and practicality to the way we live. If you look through any addition of Habitus, you will see stone in almost every home, a constant presence in a regional design lens that spans a myriad of different aesthetics. Neolith is the leading global name in sintered stone, and has stood at the forefront of the emergence of stone as a major feature in residential architecture and interiors. As the brand of choice for designers across the globe, their products have been essential in providing the materiality to…

PROJECT FINCH HOUSE PRACTICE SJB GADIGAL COUNTRY/SYDNEY Wanting a home that celebrated the last few years of having their children at home, a magnificent art collection of First Nations and Australian art, plus a warm sense of fun, SJB’s design works like a foil to wrap and contain these ideas without imposing. It was also essential that qualities of the original house be lauded, “We were really driven to keep as much of the existing house as possible. A lot of work went into restoring the original features such as the stained glass windows and the beautiful fireplace,” says Charlotte Wilson, Lead Interior Designer and SJB Senior Associate. Expanding the footprint only as far as needed, the new extension sits comfortably adjacent to the old, with bricks of the same…

INNER CITY TERRACE ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN TECHNĒ ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN WURUNDJERI COUNTRY/CARLTON VICTORIA Approaching the design of a new home from the beginning has been taken one step further with Technē’s client engaging them to start at the selection of the property with Technē Principal Nick Travers attending open days with the client, “They sought our advice, as they were considering one property over another. And we demonstrated the opportunities and constraints to aid their decision making” says Technē Senior Project Architect, Claire McGuire. Perfectly located proximal to the city but surrounded by trees and with a garden the property had ample potential. “The proportions of this one were just right and the amenity of the garden was fabulous. And, with access for car parking it was very…

PROJECT LO SCOGLIO  INTERIOR DESIGN CHARLIE AND ANGELICA ARNOTT BUILDER SKYLINE PROJECTS BUNDJALUNG COUNTRY/BYRON BAY There is both complication and simplicity to the back story of Lo Scoglio. Complicated, because it involved evolutions and a host of players, simple, because it was all done with ease. The engine behind the project is undoubtedly Angelica Arnott, with Nicolas Lenders, Principal of Skyline Projects, adding both his design insights and ability to make everything happen. He is a builder of considerable note in the Byron Shire with an impressive portfolio of projects and architects putting their trust in his fine eye for detail. To start at the beginning, Angelica and Charlie Arnott were living at Wategos Beach in Byron Bay, but with a young child they thought it was time to move…