Hollywood Glam – Monomeath House by Technē Architecture and Interior Design

Imbedded with a sense of theatrical drama, Monomeath brings a series of contrasting and saturated gestures together to create an animated home that reflects its owners. Technē Architecture and Interior Design reimagines a 1930s-era home to capture a certain character and spirit with nods to both midcentury principles and Palm Springs architecture.

In combining a connection to past and present, the Toorak home captures a playfulness in form and material expression as a means to acknowledge both its origins and its current custodians. Originally built and designed in a time of experimentation, the new reworking acts as an extension of that original founding, reinterpreted through a more contemporary lens. Home to Technē Founding Director Nick Travers and his family, Monomeath results from a personal approach. Throughout, in response to a love of an elevated materiality and references to old Hollywood glamour, a boldness is evidenced through new geometries and lighting together with statement furniture and artwork.

Together with landscape design by Ayus Botanical, Monomeath House opens to the surrounding outdoor areas as further relief from the deeply layered interior.

Technē combines familiar elements and a rational layout that opens the interior and creates flowing movement between the living areas, while also allowing for moments of intimate retreat. Through a play on scale and tone, moments of compression and release open and close the feeling of areas internally, while colour and contrasting elements take on a vital role of stirring interest and challenging expectations. Built by Offbite Projects, together with landscape design by Ayus Botanical, Monomeath House opens to the surrounding outdoor areas as further relief from the deeply layered interior, as a destination of its own.

Intended as the forever home for its owners, a degree of flexibility is integrated throughout, allowing the spaces to adjust over time. Retaining the original detailing played an important role and, in some cases, informed the insertions. As the opportunity to explore colour and texture, clean and refined lines are combined with more textured or obscured ones. The use of fluted glass allows for privacy and ensures the idea of connection is maintained, while other richly tactile elements comprise key gathering spaces such as the living room and kitchen, and the staircase, as a key connector. As a hero within the home, the expressive green and curved stone used in the kitchen creates a stage of sorts, with deep teal as a counter to the cooler tones.

As the opportunity to explore colour and texture, clean and refined lines are combined with more textured or obscured ones.

Offering many moments of surprise and delight, Monomeath House incorporates a collective of delightful pairings. Technē employs colour and texture aplenty in the home, binding past and present as the ideal backdrop for the energy of everyday family life.