Houses

As summer begins and the end of the year approaches, many of you might be awaiting a change in pace and eager to assume a recumbent pose, like our cover stars. Flux is a recurrent thread in this issue of Houses, with homes that encourage their owners

When Gertrude Stein wrote “A rose is a rose is a rose,” it wasn’t because she’d mislaid her thesaurus. Stein’s work explored the conceptual power of poetry, and her message was that the name of a thing immediately summons the symbols and emotions we

John Ellway has a knack for naming things. The shorthand name for his practice, JEllway, offers a practical and playful nickname that brands the architect and the practice, and is easily transferrable to hashtags. This style of nomenclature – perhaps

When designing a home, the architect-client relationship can be complex and delicate, but also immensely rewarding. Its success relies on an initial trust on both sides, a dedication from the architect to understanding the specific values of the clie

Alexa Kempton Can you start by telling me a bit about yourself? Sarah I used to work in fashion. It was great, but very unsustainable, and over time I realized that being environmentally responsible was more important to me than looking good. I love

As we build more low-energy homes that are tightly sealed, we need to consider how to provide adequate ventilation in order to ensure our homes are healthy and energy efficient. Opening windows can provide ventilation, but the energy that has been sp

Starting with a blank canvas is confronting. Starting with one that is enormous and doesn’t even exist, even more so. But rather than being daunted by the task, Alex Nicholls was able to draw on his artistic and tectonic skills to design a multigener

In what seems like merely a moment of inattention, a crowd of large residential developments has emerged from the complex fabric of Collingwood in Melbourne’s inner north. Within this changing streetscape, Bedford Street – designed by DKO with interi

As anyone perusing one-bedroom apartment listings today will attest, it’s rare to find one with views in all four directions; near impossible, when you limit your search to those that are accessible to a first-home buyer. Yet that is what architect B

Regional New South Wales is a beautiful place. Having lived and studied outside the metropolitan cities, I feel a sense of homecoming as I travel to Tamworth – a city in the state’s north, on the land of the Kamilaroi/Gomeroi people – relishing the b

1 Entry2 Carport3 Courtyard4 Kitchen5 Dining6 Living7 Lounge box8 Library/guest room9 Bedroom10 Pool For more than two decades, Brian Steendyk has been at the helm of architecture and design studio Steendijk, working on diverse challenges and applyi

As someone who spent much of their childhood in an English seaside town, my recollections of the beach are as much of bracing sea winds and dishearteningly consistent rain as they are of sun-warmed skin and a refreshing ocean swim. One constant was a

When the owners of Grove House purchased their charming, heritage-listed residence in Woollahra in Sydney’s inner east, they were also investing in the preservation of one of the city’s shared private gardens. The clients had been looking to move for

In 1973, three years into running his own practice, Glenn Murcutt was becoming a specialist in residential alterations and additions. Reflecting on those early years, he describes having used each project as “a little experiment in design – in dealin

Portrait of a House is a visual story of a house, told by a photographer, yet rather than focusing on the end result, the portrait is of its emergence and evolution. This eight-minute film and accompanying stills are by artist Louise Whelan, and thei