fraser st

I'm breaking the unplanned blogging silence with some shots from a recent little styling job for a house that was an old Chamberlain Javens Architects project.

Images above by me and images below by Fraser Marsden.

one of my babies

Yes, I call my projects my "babies." I'm very excited to finally share a recently completed project I worked on. As part of Chamberlain Javens Architects, I worked on the interior of these five spacious apartments in the leafy suburb of Toorak. I had an awesome time designing it and I am overjoyed to see it built.

As the end occupants are unknown, the intent was to keep it reasonably neutral. It invites the final occupants to colour their space with their own stories and personalities. Whilst providing a neutral backdrop, I was hell bent on avoiding a lifeless, flat sea of beige. To that end, textures, detail and generous proportions became key players. The french grey parquetry flooring, timber veneer panelling and honed limestone provide an earthy finish, giving the surfaces tactility and depth despite being neutral in tone. The customised turned timber handles by the ever so lovely crew at Interia (who actually sent me their catalogue after reading this post) are scattered throughout, sitting like crisp sculptures on the joinery. With the generous proportions of full height doors and weighty benchtops, day to day life is given a sense of occasion.

The Powder room is the only slight departure from the rest of the apartment. Covered in shimmering blue green mosaic tiles with a brass pendant floating in the space, it is the little jewel hidden in the depth of the apartment.

Photographed by Derek Swalwell, I was pretty chuffed when Derek sent through the proofs. Sent with a "too many" photos disclaimer, his email pretty much became one of the best things that's ever floated into my inbox.

After countless emails, phone calls, google research sessions and who knows how many site visits, it feels pretty darn good to see this space complete and ready to become someone's new home.

Photography by Derek Swalwell.

geyser

After months of sitting in my draft posts, it's finally time to share photos of GEYSER! Woo! The project was such a huge investment in terms of time, emotion and energy that I became a little fixated on the perfect way to represent it. After giving the project a bit of breathing room (and realising it's been just about one year since it's first inception), I've finally let go of some of my anal retentiveness on the matter and decided that it's time to release this baby into the blogosphere.

If you're a new reader, GEYSER was an installation I created in collaboration with fellow designer, Caitlin Perry and sound artist, Rob Bravington. It was exhibited at manysquaremetres in October last year.

For me, the installation was an opportunity to explore the physical environment as a purely experiential space. Once stripped of functionality and pragmatics, the installation allowed me to actively explore the emotional response space can evoke.

Thinking about space as a sensory experience, we were drawn to the idea of thermal bathing and how the experience of shifting from one bathing temperature to another, can heighten the way our bodies experience their surrounds. Using similar principles, we created three distinct sensory experiences and exploited the contrast between the three to deepen the experience. 

Where possible, I won't speak too explicitly about how the spaces were "meant" to feel, as I'd prefer users to find their own understanding of the space. 

The main space, which we approached as the entry threshold. Open, airy and white, visitors entered into a corridor of hanging white wool. Visitors had had to physically pass through the wool to access the other spaces. 

From the entry, there was a choice of two pods. Both pods were clad in materials to serenade and entice visitors to enter.

The pod to the right was a small hexagonal enclosure, clad in fringed, mirrored metallic sheets. The compact interior was lined with carpet, deadening the sound. More wool was suspended inside, sitting lower and packed more densely together. The wool hung low enough to surround the visitors' head and shoulders.

 

The other pod, draped in layers of white petals (referencing my memories of the floral pool at Vals Therme) had a small entry point in the back corner. Once at the opening, it revealed an intensely bright and reflective internal space. The walls were lined with a waterfall of metallic ribbon, the ceiling suspended with hundreds of light reflecting crystals. It was entered via a small set of stairs and users climbed onto a springy elastacised bed and experienced it lying back. Upon entry, the high pitched sound of bells was activated.

You can hear the full soundscape here.

 In other, very exciting news, GEYSER is making a mini comeback! We have been invited to re exhibit a smaller version of it as part of Makette - an exhibition curated by Kart Projects - which explores designers' side projects. Makette will be exhibited in mid July at the Design Institute in Melbourne. I can't wait to share the other designers' we'll be exhibiting with. They are truly amazing and we're so honored to be exhibiting alonside such talent. Stay tuned!

Before I wrap up this post, I must give a huge thanks to our key sponsors, Chamberlain Javens Architects and manysquaremetres. Thank you for your trust and support. Thanks also to Mance Design who generously designed, provided and installed the lighting. What champs. To our many Pozible supporters- we appreciated every penny you so generously gave. Last but not least, giant thanks to our team of helpers who worked patiently and tirelessly and inevitable found new meaning in the word "tedious." I will be paying you back. For life.

We feel so fortunate to have had so much support to help make this project happen!

Day photos by Caitlin Muscat. Dusk and night photos by Timothy Casten.

middle park house

Double fun for me today. I'm blogging over at yellowtrace and I get to share a project from our little team at CJA and KPDO. Head on over here to see one of my favourite projects from the office.

Photo by Derek Swalwell

sc land office

I've blogged about my employer Chamberlain Javens Architects before here, here and here. Having recently become GEYSER's major sponsor, I take this as an excuse to blog about the office one more time. They've been incredibly supportive of my blog and now our installation. I feel fortunate to have an employer that can think laterally about my growth and provide support and encouragement both inside and outside of work.

Today I share with you an office designed for boutique property developers, SC Land. I think this particular project showcases the office's aesthetic and design sensibilities. The interest in materiality and detailing, the restrained but textured palette and the deliberate attention to volumes and light are classic CJ Architects characteristics. I've learned so much working in this office and you can probably see how it's influenced my personal design voice.

knock knock.

Our office recently finished a house in inner city Melbourne and one of my favourite things in the whole house is the front door knob. (2)

There are few things in a building that you look at and physically engage with every day, so for me, door hardware is worth giving attention to. I love how these door knobs and knockers are like little jewels that add polish to the final design.

1. Yarra St Penthouse by Michael Yates via Flodeau / 2. Middle Park House by KPDO and Chamberlain Javens Architects (my photo) / 3. Round Door Knocker by Rocky Mountain Hardware / 4. XXY door handle by Valentin Garal via Design Crush / 5. Door detail at Brookvale Park by Juliana & Tristan via Archdaily.

for sale.

A few years ago, the others in the office were working on a renovation to a Victorian mansion in St Kilda. Understandably, there are clients who prefer not to have their homes extensively photographed so once it was finished, the only images I ever saw were the ones below (taken with the point and shoot office camera).

It's now up for sale and fortunately for me, new images are cropping up on real estate sites. It's satisfying to finally see what my peers were working on for so long. You can see the listing here.

If you happen to have a lazy $8million, expressions of interest close on November 24th. If you should be so lucky, please be sure you invite me to one of your rooftop pool parties.

ode to jia, shanghai.

I suppose there's a first for everything. Last week, one of our completed projects burnt down. There was a gas incident at boutique hotel, JIA in Shanghai and the entire hotel went down in flames. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but little remains of this hotel.

In an attempt to immortalize the project in some way, here's a little reminder of what it once was. The hotel involved alterations to an existing 1920's building which we completed in collaboration with Kerry's office* in 2007.

***UPDATE***It would appear that there's been a case of Chinese whispers on this story. JIA Shanghai has not burnt down completely. There has been a bit of fire damage to a few spaces but otherwise the business will be operating again soon. What a relief!

* Completed by Hecker Phelan and Guthrie while Kerry was a Director. 

welcome, neighbours.

Last week, we moved into our new studio and our new neighbours, KPDO (Kerry Phelan Design Office) moved in a couple of days later. Our office has been working with Kerry and her team for years now (including the days she was a director of Hecker Phelan & Guthrie). Sharing a studio makes this partnership a little more official. Here are a selection of projects that we've completed together over the years. I worked on a few of these in my student and early graduate days and the knowledge I gained from these projects has really influenced the way I work now.

I'm looking forward to exchanging design secrets with this talented group of Interior Designers.

St Kilda house. Photograph by Earl Carter.

Toorak house. Photograph by Tessa Ross-Phelan.

South Yarra house. Photographs by Earl Carter.

Kew House. Photographs by Shannon McGrath.