Controlled and Considered – Mosman by Mathieson Architects and FREE-MAN
Inspired by the contrast between the clean monochromatic built form against the natural setting the home is immersed within, Mosman is a play on light and materiality. Mathieson Architects and Jack Freeman combine a detailed and restrained approach to express a calm and curated abode surrounded by lush vegetation.
Located in Sydney’s Balmoral Beach, Mosman looks out from its carefully considered apertures to the vast ocean beyond, offering a quiet and protected place to escape, protected from the elements. As an expression of contrasts, the strong and linear nature of the architectural and interior response sits in thoughtful opposition to the home’s setting and its connection to the natural. Highlighting this difference, the resulting home sees a monochromatic palette and a familiar sense of order and formality used as the foundations of the comprising elements. The importance and intersection between natural light and the carved openings and vistas allows an intended interaction to occur throughout the day, as the spaces become illuminated with light. Mathieson Architects conjures a deliberately minimal architectural response with a shared understanding of restraint and detail that is complemented by interiors and custom furniture design and curation by FREE-MAN.
As an expression of contrasts, the strong and linear nature of the architectural and interior response sits in thoughtful opposition to the home’s setting and its connection to the natural.
The extensive use of white and its textural interpretations welcomes the visitor to its three stories of uninterrupted linework and simplicity, immediately endowing a sense of calm. The home embodies a retreat feel as each element speaks to it purpose. Sitting on a deeply sloping terrain, Mosman gently navigates it site with seeming ease, and its immersion within a naturally occurring setting further emphasises the home’s crispness. With landscapes by Dangar Barin Smith, the contrast between the built and the natural creates its own counterbalance, expressing the other through their difference. A mostly concrete structure then opens itself through a series of portals that connect the interior with its enviable views and location, while creating a sense of controlled rhythm.
Internally, the same sense of order is carried through each of the spaces and into each curated and designed element, completing the picture. FREE-MAN brings together over one hundred pieces of art and furniture that extend the external architectural language inward, re-interpreting it and adding layers of richness. Through close collaborations with local craftspeople and artisans, custom designed elements are dotted throughout, adding to the narrative of the home as an expression of its owner. Each piece embodies its own story as every finish is selected for its textural nuance.
Mosman is a home build on ideals of the home as a place of escape and calm, where each contributing element has been selected for its simplicity and refinement. Mathieson Architects and FREE-MAN’s combined approach both supports and reinforces the intentional minimalism and restraint, resulting in a uniquely reflective home.
A mostly concrete structure then opens itself through a series of portals that connect the interior with its enviable views and location, while creating a sense of controlled rhythm.
