Kew House
A renovation of a 1960’s modernist home; existing finishes were stripped back to reveal and clarify the existing spaces; floors and walls were clad in a beautiful imported Elba marble and window frames in copper. Careful, more rational planning further simplified the home to suit its new occupants, a family of 4.
The decision to use a minimal palette of materials and colours was made early in the design process and was as much a reaction to the frenzied palette of the original structure as an attempt to unify some of the newly created spaces and forge a link with the exterior. To this purpose 90x90cm slabs of Elba marble from Turkey was chosen to clad the floors of the main living spaces, kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the walls of all wet areas. The external paving around the pool employed the same material. Benchtops in the kitchen and the basins in the bathrooms were formed up from larger slabs of the same stone. All other wall surfaces were in white painted plaster.
The detailing was kept sparse leaving the natural beauty of the stone to take centre stage, variety coming from the changing fall of light. Windows and door frames were detailed with copper cladding, that would change with time. Recycled Blackbutt timber was reserved for key pieces of custom joinery and the new entry doors.
Completed 2008
Photographer: Peter Clarke
Styling: Swee Design
Kew House | Description | Index
A renovation of a 1960’s modernist home; existing finishes were stripped back to reveal and clarify the existing spaces; floors and walls were clad in a beautiful imported Elba marble and window frames in copper. Careful, more rational planning further simplified the home to suit its new occupants, a family of 4.
The decision to use a minimal palette of materials and colours was made early in the design process and was as much a reaction to the frenzied palette of the original structure as an attempt to unify some of the newly created spaces and forge a link with the exterior. To this purpose 90x90cm slabs of Elba marble from Turkey was chosen to clad the floors of the main living spaces, kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the walls of all wet areas. The external paving around the pool employed the same material. Benchtops in the kitchen and the basins in the bathrooms were formed up from larger slabs of the same stone. All other wall surfaces were in white painted plaster.
The detailing was kept sparse leaving the natural beauty of the stone to take centre stage, variety coming from the changing fall of light. Windows and door frames were detailed with copper cladding, that would change with time. Recycled Blackbutt timber was reserved for key pieces of custom joinery and the new entry doors.
Completed 2008
Photographer: Peter Clarke
Styling: Swee Design