An Enhanced Warmth – Thebarton House by Fabrikate

Adding to the existing textural layers and warmth within, Thebarton House sees the weaving of 1970s and Japanese inspired musings into a home with its own storied past. Fabrikate draws from the individual personalities of the owners in proposing a home of charm and continued character.

Originally built in the 1920s, Thebarton House sits to the west of Adelaide CBD. Bringing together its combined original art deco and pre-war stylings, the residence was comprised of several altered iterations due to multiple and varied occupants over the years. The latest, as children very much reflective of their 1970s era upbringings, wanted to cultivate a home that reflected their nostalgic connections, whilst also modernising the existing spaces to suit modern family life. Creating connections outward became a key focus, ensuring the garden became a natural extension of the interior, with dedicated outdoor rooms of its own. Fabrikate reworked the interior, ensuring the original essence of the home remained within the new.

In creating space for the essentials, joinery was designed to sculpt a new sense of purpose for the home, reflective of those living within.

Having loved their time living in Japan, the owners wanted to bring that connection to place into the new spaces through materiality and feel. In maintaining the original floor plan, the limitations of the interior inspired a decluttering process, leaving only what was needed remaining – a Japanese gesture in and of itself. In creating space for the essentials, joinery was designed to sculpt a new sense of purpose for the home, reflective of those living within. Bright pops of red give the home its own identity, whilst the tones of timber add a warmth that reflects a Nordic sensibility. The lines of the new elements then add a contemporary touch, ensuring the interior feels reflective of this time, yet still inspired by eras past. Combining several artisan and handcrafted approaches, timber and custom terrazzo are used in unison throughout, whilst natural materials and concrete formwork give the home a considered rigour.

Although only originally engaged to assist with the bathroom refurbishment, after having worked together, the client and designer wanted to explore how their shared philosophies and interpretation of the spaces could enhance the everyday. As keen gardeners with a productive garden already in place, ensuring flowing access between inside and out was key, acting as a visual reminder of the occupants’ values and animating the surrounds of the home with living elements.

Combining several artisan and handcrafted approaches, timber and custom terrazzo are used in unison throughout, whilst natural materials and concrete formwork give the home a considered rigour.

By maintaining the original essence of the home, Thebarton House combines a nod to its history with the present. Fabrikate honours the intricacies of time, alongside the memories and connection to place for its owners, folding this seamlessly into the new.