Tag Archives: Home Tours

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: ‘Stawell House’ In Studley Park, Melbourne

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The Local Project – (March 21, 2023) – Celebrating a 1970s clifftop house and its original design, Stawell House by Architects EAT is a culmination of subtle restorations and additions that bring a modern liveliness to the home’s 50-year-old history.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the 1970s Clifftop House 00:26 – The Location and The History 00:56 – Clifftop Views 01:14 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:53 – Experiencing Everything Nature Has to Offer 02:08 – The Materials 03:18 – A Personal Project for the Owners 03:57 – The Landscape 04:18 – A Restoration Project not a Redesign

Located in Studley Park, Melbourne, the 1970s clifftop house showcased original architecture that could not be replicated. However, desiring a respectful and modern update the clients chose to collaborate with Architects EAT, who agreed that retaining Stawell House’s character was important. While also taking on the role of project managers, the owners were able to maintain an intimate and collaborative throughout the entire process of restorations. Overlooking the Yarra River, the 1970s clifftop house asserts itself as part of the landscape blending effortlessly into the topography.

As the house tour begins, Stawell House’s modern renovations unfold like a sincere love letter to its original form. Beginning from the façade, the red brick home references the traditional build, yet once the door opens modern uplifts begin to take centre stage. After a linear skylight leads onto the kitchen and dining space, guests and owners make way to the balcony, which overlooks the west. Additionally, a spare bedroom and bathroom and the master bedroom have been installed on the entrance level to allow the owners ease of movement from private rooms to the public spaces.

Located downstairs, the guest room has been built with an ensuite containing an outdoor bathtub allowing the guest to fully experience the elements. To deal with the effects of a west-facing house, the architects have delivered a range of architectural devices which includes external steel shading. The external materials used for the 1970s clifftop house provide a weather resistance while also maintaining a tree like appearance to fit in with the surrounds. Honouring the original layout of the home, the floorplan remains wide as to allow an ease of movement and living.

Furthermore, timber cladding has been heavily featured on the internal walls and windows. Taken from the original home, the timber has been painstakingly removed, sanded and oiled again before re-use. Managing the entire construction process themselves, the owners work closely with the builders and trades to deliver personal modern updates to the 1970s clifftop house. Showing Architects EAT a range of design inspirations found in magazines, the owners were able to collaborate and create a home that reflects their personalities.

Additionally, the owner has also worked on the landscape, adding a deep personal touch that will grow with the home. Focused more on restoration rather than redesign, Architects EAT have worked closely with the owners and the trades to create a defining home for the modern age.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Melbourne Architecture: A Tour Of ‘Somers House’

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The Local Project – (March 17, 2023) – Located on the Mornington Peninsula, Somers House is a dream home that enjoys close proximity to the beach and the native coastal landscape. Crafted by Kennedy Nolan, the house presents both sustainability and accessibility as a design priority, embodying the concept of a coastal retreat and playing into the experience of the unique Australian biome.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Coastal Retreat 00:37 – The Importance of Accessibility and Sustainability 01:12 – A Weather Responsive Home 01:34 – A Private and Hidden Retreat 01:59 – Abstract and Composed Facade 02:24 – Easy and Hidden Accessibility 02:58 – Amanda Oliver – Long-Term Collaborator 03:38 – The Details and Materials 04:10 – Proud Moments

Responding to its beachfront location, Somers House provides residents with a sense of protection from the strong, salty winds, creating opportunities for them to comfortably watch changing weather roll in from multiple vistas. The design brief detailed a dream home in which architecture and interior design work in unison to embrace the changing seasons, welcoming in the warm weather and sealing off from the cold.

Externally, Somers House engages the imagination of onlookers whilst revealing little of the true nature of its interiority. A large, shallow arch forms a cave into which cars can be parked and the abstract architecture of the dream home enhances the sense of privacy afforded to its residents. The red ochre colour of the exterior is intended to reference the colours of the earth and both grounds the home and allows it stand out among the colours of the surrounding flora.

A house tour of the dream home instantly reveals the ways in which accessibility has been considered. Wheelchair access is ensured across all three levels and the bathrooms are especially designed in order to establish maximum levels of comfort. Sliding doors allow residents access to the fresh coastal air and draw the sound of the sea into the home. Precise detailing solidifies the status of Somers House as a dream home.

The presentation of each fireplace is refined and sophisticated, reflecting the client’s interest in craftmanship. A sustainable material palette of concrete, steel, timber, stone and brass allows for a multi-faceted tactile experience to take place across the home. Representing the complete realisation of an idea, Somers House forms a compelling response to its beachfront location. An accessible coastal retreat, the dream home is a testament to the ability of Kennedy Nolan to be led by both client and site.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Concrete Design: Ground House – New South Wales

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The Local Project (March 14, 2023) – Inspired by jungle living and the whimsical idea of a spaceship crash landing into the landscape, Ground House 107R by David Fewson is a structure unlike any other. Beginning as a joint family effort, the guesthouse is complete with thoughtful design, build, furniture and artwork choices.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Concrete Bunker Home 00:43 – The Location 01:16 – Ground House Space Station: A Vision 01:34 – A Collaboration of Friends 01:53 – The Layout 02:24 – Ground House’s Space-Inspired Bedroom 02:47 – Ground House’s Ship Lighting 03:13 – The Gift of Natural Light 03:47 – Materials Used Throughout 03:55 – Ground House Spaceship Control Panel: Kitchen 04:09 – Ground House Crash Aftermath: Landscape 04:59 – The Collaborative and Fun Process

The building is a precisely curated space in which one can find respite from urban living. With its charming jungle living experience, Ground House 107R sits on a section of undulating land surrounded by rainforest and is covered in a myriad of flora that helps it to disappear further into the land. Starting from approach, the home’s calming yet magical ambience is first seen as it emerges over the ridge.

First appearing as a brutalist compound of concrete, the guesthouse is softened by foliage that cascades over the sides of it like a form of art. Organic in its design, the structure features a bedroom, kitchen, living space and bathroom. As the house tour leads around the space, the open plan layout allows for an effortless flow to the outdoors and enforces the feeling of jungle living. In the bathroom, the view through the windowed wall offers a unique view of the home’s material make up.

Additionally, the light that is gifted to the finished structure allows for the guesthouse to breath and emphasises the idea of jungle living. Using only authentic and natural materials, David Fewson and his family have added an element of truth to the interior palette. Using a combination of concrete, real timber and brass, the architect and designers extend their idea of the home forming the shape of a crashed spaceship. Found only a few metres away, the hot tub is settled into the landscape and allows guests to immerse themselves further into jungle living.

At one with the landscape, Ground House 107R’s unique architecture and design elements offer a take on the bygone era and transports it to the contemporary age in which David Fewson hopes guest will find alluring. Located in northern New South Wales, the guesthouse is shrouded in a layer of secrecy that only deepens the charm and characteristics of the site. With its jungle living ideals and employed naturally made materials, Ground House 107R is a place in which serenity can be found in every detail.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture Tour: Family Heritage House In Sydney

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The Local Project (March 10, 2023) – Perched over Sydney harbour, the architects and designers of Family Heritage, Luigi Rosselli Architects and Alwill Interiors, inject a renewed modern character into the residence.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Elegant Family Home 00:40 – The Award-Winning Architects 01:00 – Behind the Name ‘Family Heritage’ 01:30 – The Clients Brief 02:03 – A Walkthrough of the Family Home 04:59 – The Award-Winning Interior Designers 05:17 – Fresh and Modern Interiors 05:50 – The Materials Used Throughout 06:20 – Favourite Aspects 07:00 – Difficult Aspects 08:07 – Working with Heritage Listed Homes

Originally built at the turn of the century, the renovated home rejects the idea of historical structures being restricted, dark or difficult for modern families. Defeating these misconceptions, the architects and designers have used soft curves, calming colours and material palettes, and welcome a wealth of natural light inside. From the front veranda, guests enter into the front atrium, which has been turned from a dark entrance into light-filled foyer.

Featuring a newly opened staircase, the interior architecture of the atrium tells a story of gentle curves to soften the arrival, before passing into the arched hallway. As the hallway leads to the family room and study, the choice has been made to keep it dark with hues of blue, navy and greys for concentration, study, reading and reflection. Leading from this is the arrival to the main living space, a light-drenched space with wide doors that open to the garden to expand the living space outdoors for entertainment and family use.

Additionally, on the opposite end of the main living space is the fireplace, which has been designed uncentered to allow for the addition of artwork. Moving upwards, the curved staircase leads to a viewing room in which the skyline of Sydney can be viewed. The first-floor landing then also holds the original doors of the home, which the architects and designers have reused for the linen cupboards. The house tour next leads to the private living spaces, including the children’s rooms, guest room and main bedroom.

The main bedroom offers a vastness that is similar to that of a hotel room, with a precise arrangement and thoughtful detailing. Additionally, the room is fitted with a large window looking over the backyard and dancing shutters that open and shut in synchrony. Showing the character of each child, the architects and designers have allowed the children’s bedrooms to share the front veranda to provide them with additional connections to the front gardens. Evident through their long-standing work relationship, the collaboration between the architects and designers makes it seem as if the home has been designed by one set of hands.

Using a calm, white base, the home builds character with tobacco, pink and blue tones through each living space. Accommodating for a busy family, the architects and designers carefully asses the function of spaces and imbue rooms with durable materials to handle daily wear and tear. Evoking different emotions throughout the home, the interior material choices have purposely been selected by the architects and designers to showcase the home’s unique character and charm.

Home Design, Homes, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Hawaii Views: Tour Of An Estate In Haiku, Maui (2023)

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Sotheby’s International Realty (March 9, 2023) – Haiku is a small village in the northern part of Maui, approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) east of Kahului. Though Haiku is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) inland, a few beaches are nearby, including popular Ho’okipa Beach, also known as the windsurfing capital of the world.

Haiku was once a thriving pineapple plantation with two canneries. However, the town experienced a decline in commercial activity when the main refinery transferred to Kahului. After a few years, people started returning and inhabit the place. Only then the commercial life in Haiku resumed. Today, this rustic community has eateries, shops and cafés.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Reviews, Tours, Videos

1955 Mid-Century Modern: Tour Of ‘Windemere Tract’ Home In Phoenix, Arizona

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Open Space (March 5, 2023) – Ralph Haver AIA was an American Architect who was highly accredited to bringing Modernism to Arizona. Malcolm and Lea weren’t necessarily looking for a modernist home when they stumbled upon their current Ralph Haver home.

Always intrigued with design and making a space into their own, they saw the potential through their designer Joel Contreras who at the time was one of the few people redesigning historic homes in Arizona. Ralph Haver was known for his use of affordable and practical building materials, such as concrete block and plywood, which allowed him to create affordable postwar homes. Malcolm and Lea are a part of a small tract of Ralph Haver homes with only 30 homes in their neighborhood.

Throughout the past several years, they have seen a new generation of buyers coming into the neighborhood and lovingly caring/restoring/ remodeling the homes. Ralph Haver homes are reminiscent of the Cliff May homes in Southern California, similar construction, design elements and die hard homeowners that are uplifting the legacy of these architects.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: Casa Di Campo In Werribee South, Australia

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The Local Project (March 3, 2023) – Surrounded by large fields, Casa di Campo is a modern farmhouse that responds to the landscape and offers an oasis-like lifestyle for its owners.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Surfshark VPN 00:10 – Introduction to the Modern Farmhouse 00:42 – Designing in Response to the Landscape 01:03 – The Brief and the Clients 01:34 – Impressions On Arrival 01:50 – A Walkthrough of the Home 03:00 – The Different Aspects 03:21 – The Material Palette and Textures 04:49 – Proud Moments 05:17 – Surfshark VPN

Located in Werribee South, Victoria, where homes are spaced out by green fields and red dirt landscapes, the family of second-generation market gardeners requested a modern farmhouse. Responding to the client’s brief, Neil Architecture built a home with inward facing courtyards, a private garden space and a pool that the family could find reprieve in. Whilst a calming residence from the inside, Casa di Campo appears as a solid monolithic form that stands out from nearby farming houses.

Once inside, the house tour first reveals a lush green garden that is designed like a Roman courtyard. With a portico that runs along two sides, the pond traditionally included is instead a swimming pool. Acre also installs cut granite boulders as stepping stones that become a major aspect to the garden’s function. Following a short passage leads into the family living rooms, which have been divided by a large centre fireplace.

With no white walls featuring in the interior design of the modern farmhouse, the architects have used textures throughout to provide a unique aspect to the home. The floor is also distinct, appearing as one poured slab with smooth edges and a fine aggregate finish that the clients have fallen in love with. Separate from the living zone, the children’s bedrooms offer a view through the colonnade and into the garden, giving them ample space to play and enjoy the modern farmhouse.

At the eastern end of the home, the main bedroom holds a small private courtyard that invites in the morning sun and offers a space for the parents to unwind and enjoy. Putting together material elements of the modern farmhouse, the architects employed rammed earth for its warm pale tone and unique interior experience. Alongside the rammed-earth architecture is timber wall panelling, Quartzite stone in the kitchen and bathrooms and a green elemental tone within the bathrooms and hallways that helps to sooth the interior features of the modern farmhouse.

Although set among the fields, where the brown rich soil and the bright greens mix harmoniously, the residence separates itself from the working environment and becomes its own destination. Taking on architecture, interior design and styling, Neil Architecture turns a family home into a pleasantly surprising paradise with an exterior that provides no clues as to what is inside.

Art, History, Home Design, Homes, Tourism, Tours, Videos, Views

Art/Interior Design: Tour Of Charleston House, UK

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House & Garden (March 3, 2023) – Houses with History from Charleston House. Join Lucy Hammond Giles, Associate Director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, as we tour Charleston House, once home to artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

Vanessa and Duncan saw no particular distinction between art and interior design, and treated the house as a canvas, painting practically every wall and piece of furniture in their own distinctive styles. As a result, the house is not only a significant piece of art history, but a landmark in the history of interior decoration.

Charleston, in East Sussex, is a property associated with the Bloomsbury group, that is open to the public. It was the country home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and is an example of their decorative style within a domestic context, representing the fruition of more than sixty years of artistic creativity.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: Brighton House In Melbourne, Australia

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The Local Project (February 24, 2023) – Located in the Victorian seaside suburb of Brighton, Brighton House is a sophisticated family home that maximises living space and the surrounding gardens. Responding to the clients’ briefs, Hecker Guthrie has imbued a sophisticated family home with hints of the clients’ tastes and world travels.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sophisticated Family Home 00:35 – The Brief 01:02 – The Process and the result 01:19 – Split Between Heritage and Modern 01:36 – Appealing Aspects of the Home 02:04 – A Walkthrough of the Contemporary Part of the Home 02:24 – A Southern Italian Aesthetic 02:50 – Framing Nature Through Windows 03:30 – An Insight into The Staircase 04:29 – Proud Moments 05:00 – Evoking Joy

Melding the modern and historical together, the architects have divided Brighton House into two zones, keeping the heritage form at the front and the contemporary extension to the rear. From the front of the sophisticated family home, the interior design adds a layer of charm and character. The structure has been renovated with care so that the original elements shine alongside the contemporary additions. In the modern section, light and space is introduced through large windows and doors to the gardens.

Yet through its unique implementation, the natural light does not overpower the extensions but instead works with each design element. Drawing from the clients’ travels for inspiration, Brighton Residence is crafted from rustic materiality, limestone and timber joinery. In addition to wanting an extension of space, the clients also desired a level of connection to nature and the sky. Each window within the home provides glimpses of nature or skies above, connecting the owners to the outside no matter the weather.

Built in between the old home and new extensions, an American Oak staircase by S&A Stairs takes advantage of the double height void and shines through the home like a form of art. With its smooth curves, the staircase complements the soft and sophisticated interior design choices made by Hecker Guthrie and turns an otherwise forgotten part of the home into one of its most memorable moments. As a sophisticated family home, Brighton Residence is a home that offers its owners a space to find reprieve while being surrounded by all that they love.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Tours: Hermon House In Hawthorn, Australia

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Located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hermon is a fun and playful house set on a tree-lined street dotted with Edwardian and Federation homes. Stitching together the project’s Edwardian structure and contemporary changes, WOWOWA has introduced unique materials, a vibrant colour palette and elements to install vivacity into the family home.

00:00 – Introduction to the Playful House 00:23 – The Location 00:38 – Key Ambitions 01:01 – A Love for Renovations 01:22 – A Walkthrough of the House 01:50 – The Fun and Dreamy Kitchen 02:28 – Embracing Age 02:50 – The Materials and Colour Palette 03:28 – Laminex Pairings 04:15 – Focusing on the Little Moments and the Big 04:34 – Fresh and Nostalgic

With a love for rejuvenation, WOWOWA has continued the residence’s charming heritage by using the original stone, bricks and gradient of the roof tiles for inspiration in the transformation of the fun and playful house. Beginning the house tour from the front gate, guests walk up a soft pebble walkway before entering into a traditional foyer with tall ornate walls and a spacious hallway. After passing through the threshold of the fun and playful house, WOWOWA’s contemporary renovations are revealed in the kitchen – the heart of the home.

Employing a colour story of reds, browns and terracotta to reference the surrounding landscape, the kitchen is full of moments of inspiration and reflection. Throughout the space, the architects have also installed wide windows and doors that reveal the vibrant and colourful gardens. Working with Laminex for the kitchen’s interior design, WOWOWA has used the bayleaf colour to partner with the warm hues throughout the home. Also implemented in the main bedroom, the bayleaf adds a cohesiveness to the interior design and brings the vibrancy of outside into the more intimate spaces.

With four bedrooms located upstairs, including a main bedroom with walk-in robe and ensuite, two children’s rooms and a guest room, the interior design throughout results in a fun and playful house for the owners. By embracing the traditional circles, geometry and patterns of Hermon, WOWOWA have used materials such as terrazzo, finger tiles, terracotta, steel and timber to add a contemporary twist. Furthermore, the modern elements reference the original stained-glass windows of the façade. Considering the Edwardian exterior architecture, WOWOWA have softened the harder architectural structure by adding planter boxes and new lush gardens around the house. With a focus on aligning the larger gestures with the smaller ones,

WOWOWA have made sure to inject the same amount of attention into each material choice and design element of the fun and playful house. Adding joyfulness and nostalgia to Hermon, WOWOWA have created a home that gives the owners opportunity to create new stories.