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A Celebration of 1950s Australian Modernism – Private Residence by Richards Stanisich
Originally designed in 1957 and recently renovated by Richards Stanisich, Private Residence is a celebration of 1950s Australian modernism, articulated through colour, rational rhythm and refinement.
Very little of the original interiors remained when Richards Stanisich was engaged on the project. Yet through taking inspiration from modernist design principles and working together with Ciolino Constructions and heritage consultants Former Glory, the design team was able to respond to the original architectural intent while injecting new life and purpose into the home. The new works saw the refurbishment of the home’s wearied parts, the addition of a pool and the extension of the home to connect with its off-street garage.
“We were excited and a little daunted at the prospect of renovating the house. It has enormous charm and, although the interiors had all been replaced over the years, the house still had the essence of [modernist] elegantly rational design,” recalls Jonathan Richards, co-founding director of Richards Stanisich. “Our approach was a careful one. We started with considerable research to understand the building’s history and how it had evolved over time. We felt more comfortable with contributing a new design to the house from a fully informed starting point.” He explains that with this informative backing, “we felt the house deserved a subtle extension and an interior that had fun with mid-century materiality.”
Achieving a balance between restoring the original design intent of the home and creating a new interior befitting its current custodians, “it was vital the house felt like our client (a passionate mid-century lover), and our role was, in some ways, to restore the house and, in others, to give it a new personality,” Jonathan says. Together with clean lines and rationalism of design, modernism saw long-spanning openings and forms as a result of advancements in steel and glass manufacturing.
“The house is classic 1950s modernism: crisp forms, elegant proportions, wonderful play of light and shadow,” Jonathan describes. Within this, “there is a humble quality to the house. It is not oversized, and it stands out in the streetscape for being single storey surrounded by much larger blocks. Our approach was to respect this modest gem and not juxtapose it with a new design language – as often happens when architects renovate old buildings.”
A sense of transparency between inside and out was another key feature of the period, and Dangar Barin Smith’s landscape design ensures an effortless transition. Jonathan describes the house as “inward looking with a perimeter concrete block wall. We built a pool in the front garden, and the landscape designer, Will Dangar, created beautiful internal gardens that are very much part of the interior living experience.” The exterior of the house has now been painted with the original colours the perimeter planted with an oasis of palms and succulents.
In expanding the home’s footprint, the essence of the original home was maintained through the close collaboration of all parties and the shared intent to justify the original home. Jonathan explains, “we extended on to the original house by connecting it to the garage – thereby creating a sunken pottery room and a larger main bedroom suite. The connection between the old and new house is by a single hallway. To define this important connection, it is lined in full height walnut and continues to wrap joinery at each end. The 1950s-inspired materiality is used as the link – and when doors are opened in this walnut wall, they reveal areas like the powder room that is lined in vividly colourful wallpaper.” The expressive use of contrasting colour and rhythmic glass and brick patterns activate the home. Muted pastels against natural and saturated timber then further accentuate junctions and instil curious moments throughout the design.
Successfully maintaining the integrity of the design, a new addition of personality and contemporary functionality is instilled. With Private Residence, Richards Stanisich has created a true embodied celebration of Australian architectural history.
“We were excited and a little daunted at the prospect of renovating the house. It has enormous charm and, although the interiors had all been replaced over the years, the house still had the essence of [modernist] elegantly rational design.”
