Crafting Identity – DS Residences by Inglis Architects

Sculpted by tight site constraints and governed by a conservative residential milieu in a historical neighbourhood, Inglis Architects has created two separate residences of distinct identity yet cohesive form on a single site. Overcoming initial resistance to a contemporary built form within the largely unchanged streetscape, the resultant design draws influence from the language of surrounding homes while remaining steadfastly unique. Responding ambitiously to the challenge, the building envelope composes a rhythmic language across the site, reflective of proportions and symmetry found in the immediate and wider context.

“We were approached by our clients who were familiar with our work and excited to live in one of our designs,” recalls Charlie Inglis, Director of Inglis Architects. As recent empty nesters with a love of entertaining, the client brief was clear – a ground-floor residence on a tight footprint with strong garden
connections expanding perceptions of space and an upper residence with equally balanced views to treetops. “It was important that the apartments weren’t typical,” Charlie expands, “with emphasis placed on spaces of the same proportion that you would find in a larger house.” A methodical approach to spatial crafting informed by this narrative results in the journey drawing on a sense of generosity and expanse, commencing at the individual entry point to each residence.

Taking full advantage of single-level planning, Charlie explains that “the ground-floor residence allows spaces and functions to merge, helping the feeling of generosity throughout.”

Working with a tight floor plate and encouraging external connection wherever possible, the ground-floor apartment reveals a refreshingly short journey into the heart of the home. Purposefully rejecting common notions of spatial arrangements, the planning is flipped, avoiding travelling through private zones and instead bringing guests through a beautifully crafted entry door into a compressed transitional zone that acts as a mental separation between the bustling street and the quiet calm of the home. Movement is propelled through this space into the unexpected expansive living zone, wrapped in garden to three sides and immersed in natural light. Taking full advantage of single-level planning, Charlie explains that “the ground-floor residence allows spaces and functions to merge, helping the feeling of generosity throughout.” Imbuing an essence of nature into the spaces by deliberately cultivating a close relationship with the garden enlarges the perception of space and expands the site in all directions.

Echoing this approach, entry to the upper-floor residence sits commandingly facing the street, with the stair in a double-height volume featuring fluted glass elements designed to take full advantage of adjacent prominent street trees, encouraging light and atmosphere to commence the journey into the treetops. For each home, bedrooms and quiet spaces are reserved for the rear of the property, away from street frontage and encouraging more relaxed interaction with external areas.

Taking cues from the tonal subtlety of concrete, the palette throughout both homes is at once minimal and warm. “With all of our projects, we like to pare back the number of materials,” Charlie says. Applying this approach encourages a full appreciation of each selection, allowing fabrication techniques and finishing methods to celebrate “showing imperfections and resulting in the project having a handmade, crafted feel.” Echoing restrained tones, materials express a cohesive relationship across architecture and interiors, exhibited in unfinished off-form concrete, visible trowel marks in mineral wall applications, solid sculpted stone vanities and waxed oxidised mild steel elements.

The ground-floor residence kitchen is the culmination of this ethos, sited to enjoy and take full advantage of the play of natural light across surfaces, offering an appreciation of finely wrought finishes. Movement in texture and tone is apparent across the surface of handmade tiles, talking gently to the depth and natural imperfections celebrated by a wire brush finish to the solid oak island bench drawers. These drawers deliberately counteract the standard approach in contemporary design of concealing personal objects within interiors, instead providing a curated opportunity for the display of a ceramic collection. “These personal objects make a house a home and give character and personality to a space,” Charlie expresses, with the approach extending to “floating shelves in the kitchen and living room wrapped in the matching mineral finish of adjacent walls, allowing the object to be the hero, not the shelf.” Further speaking to the idea of home as a receptacle for life rather than an object in and of itself, the design harnesses patinated brass shelving as a spatial device, screening living areas from the arched entry door of the same finish.

“Good design isn’t just about being practical; it’s also about the sensory effect on the occupant and a longer lasting memory.”

“The home has an amazing feeling,” concludes Charlie, “that is what we try to achieve. Good design isn’t just about being practical; it’s also about the sensory effect on the occupant and a longer lasting memory.” The result is an underlying effortlessness and simplicity, coupled with generosity of scale and vista – no mean feat to achieve on a compact residential site. Unashamedly contemporary in form and material application yet carefully respectful of the grain of the surrounding urban context, the apartments embody an uncompromising robustness and deeper attitude of appreciation for hand-finished quality.