An Avant-Garde Approach – Orchard House by Chelsea Hing

Taking inspiration from the generous and remote landscape it is immersed within, Orchard House fuses the contemporary and the classic. Chelsea Hing brings enriching layers to transform the interiors of this private, secluded home, adding depth and moments of curiosity.

With the client and Chelsea Hing having worked together previously, the foundations of a trusting relationship were already laid. Orchard House takes a less traditional path of interpreting the semi-rural home as a place of residence to embolden the original home. The project stands as a representation of its owners, one layered with a curation of furniture, art and object that combine a sense of the curious with the refined. Chelsea Hing brings together a play on tonality and colour, which is all underpinned by a consistent monochromatic base.

Privately tucked away, Orchard House is situated amongst rolling hills, immersed within its remote landscape. Almost in defiance of its locale, the approach for the renovation works was to reject the traditional and expected more rural vernacular and instead embrace an approach that spoke to a contemporary relevance. Working within the bones of the original home, the interiors see the establishment of a clean and minimal base, where polished plaster walls meet polished concrete flooring. From this base, an avant-garde approach is adopted, and each of the layered insertions injects a sense of freshness and renewal.

Orchard House takes a less traditional path of interpreting the semi-rural home as a place of residence to embolden the original home.

Born from the clients’ enjoyment of entertaining, Orchard House is founded on the principle of adaptability through contraction and expansion of spaces. Although an intimate family home at its core, the clients wanted the house to also accommodate larger groups comfortably and be an open, inviting hub. Through a dynamic floor plan and the implementation of smaller furniture pieces around more stable, anchored ones, each of the spaces can grow as needed. There is a deliberate and sculptural approach to the pieces selected, adding to an existing collection and allowing the furniture, art and objects to fill the odd geometries of the rooms. Artist collaborations with Caleb Shea and Morgan Shimeld then enliven the outdoor spaces, bringing the home’s close connection and engagement with the arts beyond its bounding walls.

Through the use of bold colours and textures, the interiors bring a sense of the contemporary to a traditional milieu. Chelsea Hing uses strong colour and a core understanding of a classic avant-garde approach to beautifully create tension between the typical and the unexpected.

Born from the clients’ enjoyment of entertaining, Orchard House is founded on the principle of adaptability through contraction and expansion of spaces.

Chelsea Hing uses strong colour and a core understanding of a classic avant-garde approach to beautifully create tension between the typical and the unexpected.