As summer begins and the end of the year approaches, many of you might be awaiting a change in pace and eager to assume a recumbent pose, like our cover stars.
Flux is a recurrent thread in this issue of Houses, with homes that encourage their owners to delight in seasonal change, and the ebb and flow of friends and family. Office Mi–Ji’s AB House in Barwon Heads employs layered rooms and twists in the plan to create an intriguing beach house that oscillates between privacy and connection. In Brisbane, John Ellway Architect’s Hopscotch House registers daily and seasonal change like a sundial, spurring its occupants to move around the house depending on fluctuations in sun, breezes and seasons. The end result is, Dirk Yates writes, like choosing where to place a picnic rug, but in a house.
Reflecting the different ways we choose to live in Australia, in this issue we also visit three apartments: a fastidiously reworked 1950s studio that revives the original architect’s vision for sociability in small-footprint living (Ellul Architecture); a new development that offers a customizable floor plan in anticipation of a diverse internal life (DKO with Design Office,); and a multigene-rational apartment that meets its owners current needs while anticipating future change (Office Alex Nicholls).
Put your feet up, find a comfy spot and enjoy reading this issue of Houses.
Alexa Kempton, editor
