Sarah Henry embarked on the design of her own residence after virtually 10 years of operating structure follow Studiofour with co-director Annabelle Berryman. Sarah’s house, Beaumaris Residence, belongs neatly inside Studiofour’s physique of labor. But on the identical time, the venture was approached as a testing floor for brand new concepts and effervescent design urges; a possibility for the follow to push concepts to extremes.
The home is positioned within the Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris. Sited on a sloping block, it’s surrounded by cumbersome and uninspiring venture properties and in shut proximity to a busy highway. So as to shut out the noise, the home is inward-looking, its areas organized round a central atrium. The home gently steps down the location to comply with the topography, however the entry and entrance bed room are considerably sunken within the panorama in order that guests descend by way of deep website cuts. This strategy marks a definite gateway that separates the chaos of the skin world from the serene house that awaits past the entry.
The home is permeable all through, with the doorways designed as discreet pivots and customarily left open.
Picture:
Shannon McGrath
Inside, the home is an illustration of what Studiofour is aware of and does effectively. The straightforward types, managed materials palette and rigorous architectural detailing have been executed with a way of acquainted ease. All through, there are satisfying moments of aligning geometries and neat, uncluttered element.
The home additionally illustrates Studiofour’s curiosity in creating wholesome properties. Going past the standard design measures of in search of daylight, pure air flow and outlook, the design crew has additionally seemed carefully on the companies. All water goes by way of a filtration system, with consuming water twice cycled by way of. Electromagnetic fields have been fastidiously managed to make sure separation from key residing and sleeping zones.
Cupboard space has been stored to a minimal, encouraging the household to be conscious about amassing possessions.
Picture:
Shannon McGrath
Many Studiofour purchasers have been drawn to the follow’s minimalist aesthetic, however at Beaumaris Residence minimalism is taken to a brand new stage. Fairly than pursuing minimalism as merely an aesthetic, Sarah and her crew have used the venture as a platform for a minimalist lifestyle. The home is decidedly compact: solely the important areas have been allowed for, and generosity is given solely the place wanted. Retaining the plan environment friendly allowed the crew to pour extra power into each the design and the construct – it’s a case of construct little and construct effectively. Bedrooms are deliberately small to encourage the household to work together in communal residing areas. Shared areas are organized alongside the 2 lengths of the courtyard to maintain circulation area to a minimal. The first out of doors area – the courtyard – is central to the plan in order that it operates as a correct “room” relatively than merely offering outlook. The youngsters are simply as more likely to drag their toys into the courtyard because the household room. The household finds that they go away the courtyard doorways open more often than not, even in winter, which means the courtyard can also be used as a circulation path every day. Contemplating Melbourne’s inclement climate, it’s a uncommon instance of a real indoor–out of doors house.
Internally, the home is equally permeable. All doorways are designed as discreet pivots and are typically left open. The laundry has no door in any respect and is just an extension of the hallway. Using pivots all through might appear to be a minor element, however it’s a worthwhile one which impacts the texture of the house. The sense of permeability it achieves permits every room to borrow from adjoining areas. It’s a design device that enables the home to realize extra with much less.
The all-grey supplies palette gently recedes into the background, permitting different issues to come back into focus.
Picture:
Shannon McGrath
Sarah deliberately prevented extreme storage, which has compelled the household to be conscious about what possessions are collected. There is no such thing as a scullery, there are not any overhead cabinets within the kitchen and there’s no storage. Dwelling on this home makes residing minimally a necessity and a life-style – not simply an aesthetic.
Studiofour has lengthy held an impulse to design an all-grey home – an thought that’s usually met with resistance from purchasers. Right here, that itch has been scratched. The gray is steady and uncompromising – the partitions are gray concrete block, the flooring and benchtops are concrete, the bogs are gray tadelakt and even the ceilings are painted a mushy, pale gray. The greyness isn’t aggressively obvious however, relatively, gently recedes and permits different issues to shift into focus: the scent of the ocean breeze, the mild shadow-play of sunshine and the drama of the swaying greenery within the central courtyard. The seamless gray palette, paired with the inward-looking courtyard, present reprieve from the overstimulation of the skin world. It creates a chilled surroundings that invitations meditative engagement with one’s surrounds.
It’s at all times fascinating to look at what architects design for themselves. Though not essentially a very experimental venture, this home reveals the architect’s dedication to design intent. Studiofour has not shied away from austerity in the home’s materials palette nor its detailing and, maybe extra notably, has not taken the idea of minimalism calmly. This home embraces minimalism wholeheartedly, not simply as an aesthetic system but additionally as a holistic lifestyle.
