Jury Comment
This is a house of contrast that deftly balances minimalist restraint with traditional luxury and grandeur. The design celebrates the home’s stately manor character and historic ornaments while linking to the new pavilion through repurposing of spaces and the insertion of modern elements. The addition both complements and contrasts with the old house it sits behind, referencing its grace, substance and grandeur. There are some unexpected design responses to the historic part of the house but each plays a part in making the old relevant to the new. The designers have employed restraint over exuberance, successfully creating a family home that also acts as a backdrop to the family’s amazing art collection.
Design Statement
The transformation of Orama, a gracious Victorian villa in Sydney’s Woollahra, involved the renovation and extension of an historic house. The brief asked to enhance and expand the building to create a comfortable family home, and to make a setting for the client’s incredible art collection. This project has two distinct halves: the renovation of an historic villa, and the construction of a new concrete and glass pavilion beyond. The interior design of the old house responds to the architectural quality of the building. Luxurious in space and detail, the design concept aimed to update the rooms with sensitively chosen fittings and fixtures, and bring out the best of the old building. Deft modern interventions into the old fabric – joinery and lighting – make the house crisp, trim and tailored. Where the old building is rich in detail, the new building is spare.
The Award for Residential Design is supported by Smeg. The Australian Interior Design Awards are presented by the Design Institute of Australia, Diversified Communications Australia and Artichoke magazine. For more images of this project, see the Australian Interior Design Awards gallery.
