concrete exterior

Oh I love this! Millard House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Breeze blocks & concrete working beautifully together. I think the colour & tone of the concrete creates a soft, natural appearance. It is probably an impractical render for our new house as its not a typical cladding option but we seem to keep thinking about it.

Lots of concrete to be found at the Barbican London, Rich & I have fond memories of hanging out here.

Indoor/outdoor concrete wall weathering nicely here

I love a polka dot!

 

concrete interior

Setagaya Flat by Naruse Inokuma Architects I like the raw unfinished effect of cement smeared over concrete & plywood created here. I think the concrete partners nicely with the ply.

Living with plywood wall has unique challenges however and we may not use it again. Rich & I loved the warm, natural look of the ply-clad walls however the drawbacks were; acoustically unfriendly, faded in patches when artwork or furniture is placed in front of it over a period of time, the ply gets damaged when artwork is hung up and can't be patched seamlessly.

We are both drawn to concrete as a finish indoors & out. Its a strange compulsion as it seems so cold & uninviting in many ways. It has its practical attractions, low maintenance, forgiving of dirt, thermally clever. I guess using it requires balance with plenty of contrasting cosy comfy finishes.

 

 

Garden Ideas

Lots of garden inspiration running through my head. In my mind it is a mix of opposites - wild tropical & landscaped minimal. With some desert-ty cactus, medditerrainian bits. A tad over the top? Ecclectic maybe? I've only been to NY but I imagine this style is influenced by late 50's LA, Miami, Florida garden design. Must do more research, please send me any ideas!

Some flashes of colour. Love the bougainvillaea against the white wall & worught iron.

Palms & bouganvillea I'm on holiday! 

Also love the monotone, landscaped tranquility happening here

Palms & modernist combo

dramatic cactus next to house

Palms big leaves & pool

Monsteria 

bouganvillea & hibiscus hedge

hibiscus palm combo, I'd like add some some formal symmetry in with the wild tropics

nice mix

could see this working in with some gum-trees. hope the bell-birds will be happy!

spruced up

This is from a series of recent photos Rich took for the real estate agents to use (they were rejected because they weren't 'wide & slick' enough!). I'm feeling sad about seeing the house looking lovely in preparation for someone else to enjoy. I will also be heartbroken to part with this light fitting (bought for a bargin on ebay for and shipped from Sydney with many problems along the way). Luckily the excitement is building about the new project and this blog is helping soothe my sentimental heart too. Its very confusing! Here is the folder of photos (some are old ones). We are opening the house up for the first time in 2 days (someone wants to get in early) gulp!

ps here is a link to the behind the scenes shots from the Magazine shoot

Stilts

House from Ferris Buellers Day Off

classic Mornington Peninsula beach house

 

Rose Seidler House by Harry Seidler

Gardner Residence, Kenneth Gardner, 1958

Farnsworth House

Farnsworth House 1951

 

Breeze Blocks

I hope we can incorporate breeze blocks into our new house. I'm not sure if they are still being made in a variety of designs but I have always admired them* . I also like the idea of some cast iron,and think the 2 styles of decorative screening work nicely together here.

This really does it for me! Perhaps the combined symbolism here of modern & oriental reflect personal ideals (an increasing interest in eastern philosophy).

I like a breeze block indoor or out!

*edit Bessa in Sydney still making these blocks

Case Study Houses

This is my favorite Case Study house. I guess see-through effect of the windows on all sides probably only works in a secluded position such as this cliftop. The classic ball lights tickle my fancy too.

pooly pool

 

This house cleverly creates balconies and covered areas with its simple cubic structure

More box action

Schindler House

 

Built in 1922 but full of modern inspiration.

Sometimes its nice to have big windows broken up with frames to create little snapshots. I love the concrete walls, exposed beams & steel windows.