Paloma
Emerging from the foothills of the Southern Highlands, a reductive shelter of concrete and steel sits quietly within its natural landscape, bestowing the timeless beauty of shifts with the passage of time.
Hunkered into the fertile landscape of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales lies a simple steel and concrete structure. Paloma by Fearon Hay is a study of the graceful passage of time, where architecture and nature explore the bounds of the ephemeral. This is an enduring shelter brimming with lifelong treasures – a repository of cherished memories of the couple who call this place home.
Borne from the efforts of a likeminded collective, the dwelling explores the convergence of landscape, form and interior occupation as a framework for a modernist structure. “The client’s brief was fairly simple – open zones for gathering and outdoor connection, with a dedicated space for a large book and art collection,” recalls practice co-founder Tim Hay of the project’s inception. “Their love of horticulture, horses and nature led to a deep understanding of the local vernacular and the volatile climate that the area is known for, opting to showcase the beauty in the process of ageing,” adds project architect Piers Kay. Paloma sits low within the landscape, comprising a robust armature of an earthen resolve that rises from a thriving backdrop. Viewed as both a relic and a newfound insertion, a sense of timelessness imbues the home as a sculptural place of respite and protection.
Recalling the restrained clarity of Tadao Ando’s work, Paloma presents a monochromatic enclosure that rises from the steep topography, atop a discreetly cavernous volume that holds personal, treasured collections. “There is this idea of an elegantly simple yet complex house,” explains Hay. “The proposition externally is of singularity and line, but there is a level of intensity within the building that instils a beautiful sense of variety.” A mediator between the encircling landscape and a decadently personal interior, the architecture becomes a container that serves as backdrop to the daily rituals that accompany this rural hinterland. A series of concrete chambers demarcates public and private, inviting a continual dialogue with the exterior condition as its occupants move from space to space.
Ascending from the valley below, a winding crushed stone driveway reveals an entry sequence in celebration of its unique locale. “You arrive behind the house through a water garden that traces the natural flows across the land,” says Kay. A windowless stronghold of weathered concrete guides one over flagstone steppers toward a concealed aged brass entrance door and into the heart of the living sphere. The communal realm resides centrally in the plan as a knuckle of sorts, connecting a private wing to an array of light-filled rooms across the eastern facade. “There are less conspicuous parts of the house that people aren’t even aware of,” says Kay. “We love the idea that the building is gradually discovered, amid the routines of occupation and movement.”
Comprising a weighty off-form shell beneath a soaring metal roofline, Paloma takes on the warm tonality and timeless patina of its battered environment. Glassy panes punctuate the bold solidity of the planar construction – a canvas laid bare for time to leave its mark. “There is a careful balance between the view toward the open expanse and the containment of the concrete construction,” notes Hay. “A moderating layer of shuttering provides enclosure and intimacy, achieved through aged stainless-steel screens that can be manoeuvred to filter light and wind, while keeping insects at bay.”
In collaboration with the client’s longtime friend, interior designer Michela Curetti, the home builds upon a minimalist backdrop, deploying richly layered furnishings, patterns and hues that embody the essence of a stately abode.
A charming kitchen takes a prominent central position, inviting groups to converge and linger amid the captivating aromas of farmhouse cooking. “Everything is on display. There is a rich tactility that runs throughout, expressed in handmade tiles, brass hardware and hessian, alongside a silhouette of functional componentry as a showcase of how the spaces are used,” explains Kay. A dichotomy builds between restraint and abundance, where the architecture presents as a pared-back vessel for storied keepsakes. A sweeping subterranean library and study evokes a similar ebullience through a theatrical labyrinth of towering olive bookshelves and cherished sculptural pieces, against the calming backdrop of chalky white walls and organic oak floors.
Conceived by landscape designer Myles Baldwin, a restorative arboretum of nearly 100 species cloaks the property. Akin to a cluster of ruinous boulders, the architecture is both robust and highly permeable, allowing the natural flows of hillside streams to trickle through the pavilion’s water gardens for a heightened sensory encounter. Outstretched stone walls bed Paloma further into the landscape, while perennial natives quietly blur the building’s edges as nature softly asserts its presence. “There’s a lovely rhythm to the movement of the wildlife that surrounds the home,” says Hay. “At times of the day, kangaroos come to the building and sit on the lawn outside the bedrooms. It’s rewarding to witness this place bring comfort to these natural inhabitants.”
Emerging from the foothills of an abundant locale, this weathered repository traces the contour as a camouflaged lookout over the valley below. A connector of landscape and interior, Paloma is a minimalist piece of architecture with lasting utility that stands as a beacon to the timeless beauty of wear and patina.
Architecture by Fearon Hay. Interior design by Michela Curetti. Build by August Constructions. Landscape design by Myles Baldwin Design.
