This renewing project is steeped in a love of materiality and a love of concrete, which stems from the client’s interest in brutalist architectural forms.  A significant part of the brief was to design a working space for a professional artist to pursue her creative practice, with the remainder of the project seeing essential kitchen and bathroom spaces updated.  

Heavy forms that have a sense of mass and robustness are created via the strong material pallet.  Timber joinery in dark chocolate tones celebrates the character and details of the existing 19070s house, leaning into the original ‘Mission Brown’ paint colour.  Tactile concrete benches and splashbacks have been custom made for the clients and introduce a lux finish to the existing spaces.

A new deck and pergola were designed to improve indoor-outdoor connections.  Native landscaping will grow over the pergola, providing a green veil to shade the living area over time.  A custom-designed kitchen pendant light hosts a community of plants that embellish the high ceilings and soften the brutalist concrete below. A love of plants and nature is intrinsic to the biophilic design response.

Matthew Sherren