An introverted retreat in Elwood, Australia, inspired by a Californian-style bungalow, has been lovingly restored by architecture studio Splinter Society to capture and preserve its original charm.
It’s owner, a creative person and a collector of objects from around the world, wanted a rustic hideaway from which to work from home, and occasionally open up for gatherings of friends.
The snug, unpretentious feeling of the existing cottage has been embraced by the architects. The house’s plan, with its side entrance with central corridor and small rooms opening up off it, has been maintained and recrafted with dark timber with Japanese vernacular design in mind.
A minimal aesthetic inside the rooms – concrete floors and whitewashed walls – is offset by custom designed storage that opens up nooks and niches for books to create personal narrative and plenty of texture. The rooms are independent, yet flexible in function and able to open up to expand into the outdoor space.
The ultimate escape from the world, the house is buried in a garden bursting with green plants. Any modest additions to the bungalow focus on creating more intimacy between the house and the outdoor space – a modest sized swimming pool in the backyard. Splinter Society, led by directors Asha Nicholas and Chris Stanley, likes to add some unexpected experiences into every design.
INFORMATION
-
MoMA names Christophe Cherix its new directorThe Swiss-born curator has worked in the Museum of Modern Art’s drawings and prints department since 2007
-
The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closureAfter years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernismLe Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
-
A contemporary retreat hiding in plain sight in SydneyThis contemporary retreat is set behind an unassuming neo-Georgian façade in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra Village; a serene home designed by Australian practice Tobias Partners
-
Join our world tour of contemporary homes across five continentsWe take a world tour of contemporary homes, exploring case studies of how we live; we make five stops across five continents
-
Who wouldn't want to live in this 'treehouse' in Byron Bay?A 1980s ‘treehouse’, on the edge of a national park in Byron Bay, is powered by the sun, architectural provenance and a sense of community
-
A modernist Melbourne house gets a contemporary makeoverSilhouette House, a modernist Melbourne house, gets a contemporary makeover by architects Powell & Glenn
-
A suburban house is expanded into two striking interconnected dwellingsJustin Mallia’s suburban house, a residential puzzle box in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill, interlocks old and new to enhance light, space and efficiency
-
Palm Beach Tree House overhauls a cottage in Sydney’s Northern Beaches into a treetop retreatSet above the surf, Palm Beach Tree House by Richard Coles Architecture sits in a desirable Northern Beaches suburb, creating a refined home in verdant surroundings
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A monolithic house in rural Victoria celebrates 50 shades of greyAdam Kane Architects’ monolithic house in rural Victoria, Grey House, is ‘a testament to the power of simplicity and harmony’
