Artful Architecture
“Bringing art into the architecture” was the driving force behind this home renovation completed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects. The house, which is nominated in the Australian Interior Design Awards, is located in the Sydney ocean-side suburb of Clovelly and is the definition of relaxed beach vibes. As the architect puts it “the notion was to create a home that was whimsical, calm, inspiring, slightly quirky and deeply personal.”
Having taken the house back to the barest and most essential bones, Blanchfield set about creating a program that allowed as much natural light as possible to stream into each room. Walls were removed, large windows installed and the rooms opened up to allow maximum flow between each space. The downside to this was the limited walls left to display art.
To combat this, Blanchfield used the architecture as art pieces and focal points in the house. The staircase is becomes a sculptural element by floating off the timber floor with its strong geometrical construction. The powder room, with playful flowing cactus wallpaper, is a fun work of art and the mirrored bi-fold doors separating the living areas look like they could be a chic mid-century find from Palm Springs.
What I love most about this project is that it perfectly meets the client’s brief of being whimsical, calm, inspiring, slightly quirky and deeply personal and does so while being so perfectly suited to its ocean-side location.
Story by Brendan Guy, follow him on Instagram MrBrendanGuy
Images: Prue Ruscoe