Meet the owner of House for Eva and Matilda

With grand ambitions for a small site, Eva turned to Antony Martin of MRTN Architects to design a new home for her family and her business. Eva spoke to Georgia Birks about the process of shaping big dreams into a beautiful home.

Georgia Birks: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what you wanted in your new home?

Eva: I am a sixth-generation Australian. My father was African and my mother was Scottish–Irish–Australian. I grew up internationally and what I really wanted in my home was a blend of all of the cultures that I’ve been exposed to. I enjoy open living and wanted lots of natural light. I also wanted something very feminine and quite soft. The colour palette was very important to me.

GB: When did you decide to engage an architect?

E: At the very beginning. I knew that I wanted somebody who would give me design ideas from scratch. I have a natural aesthetic, but pulling it together in such a small and tight space would have been a challenge for me. So that’s why I approached Antony [Martin, director of MRTN Architects].

GB: How did you find MRTN Architects?

E: A neighbour, who is an interior designer, actually introduced me to Antony. I liked his aesthetic, which had some Japanese style in the portfolio I had seen, and he was willing to be creative with me – that was very important to me. He listened. We took some time to go through various drafts, back and forth, before we finally got it and produced what my daughter, Matilda, and I needed.

The home is individually tailored to Eva and Matilda’s needs. Artwork: Minnie Pwerle.

The home is individually tailored to Eva and Matilda’s needs. Artwork: Minnie Pwerle.

Image: Dave Kulesza

GB: You’ve mentioned your history of living around the world and your African, Scottish, Irish and Australian heritage. How did MRTN Architects synthesize your ideas of bringing culture into the design of your home?

E: I feel like different parts of the house represent different parts of the world. On the second floor there’s a kind of Japanese and Scandinavian flavour (I used to live in Tokyo when I was young). The living room, I think, blends a bit of Scandinavian and African style – the exposed beams do that for me. The benchtop reminds me of this thing in West Africa called a bantaba, which is just a flat kind of table that you sit on. And the staircase reminds me a little of some of the mountains in South Africa. So, yes, it does have little bits and pieces that remind me of the different parts of the world that I have lived in.

GB: You run your own business. How important was it to include a space for your work at home? And to what extent did you need the house to be flexible for your lifestyle?

E: It was very important that I was able to base myself from home and, luckily, it sounds like it’s going to be the thing to do in the future, right?! It gives me a little bit more time to, for example, be at parent–teacher meetings when I need to be, and do other domestic stuff that any parent has to do. I’m not stretched by having to catch public transport, then come home and run around to do everything else I have to do. Most of the staff I work with also work from home. If I do need to have in-house workshops with the team, the plan is to use the downstairs space, which is currently a self-contained unit. Sometimes I have meetings upstairs, which is why it’s very simple – I can convert it into an office space. It’s worked out really well; I get to use three-quarters of the property for meetings.

GB: What elements of your home bring you the most delight?

E: I’m a minimalist, so it’s the simplicity of it. The light and openness of the space is what I like.

The benchtop reminds Eva a bantaba,  a West African flat table that you sit on.

The benchtop reminds Eva a bantaba, a West African flat table that you sit on.

Image: Dave Kulesza

GB: Are there aspects of the design that you might not have imagined, had you not worked with Antony and his team?

E: The ability to see sky and nature in a congested area. When you sit in the living room and look to the left, you see the sky and the sunset, and if you look to the right, you can see more of the outside world. And the angle of the windows makes a difference. Without that consideration, we could have been staring straight into somebody else’s home.

GB: What are your highlights from the architectural process?

E: I guess the highlight of the process was being able to make something that is simple and small quite beautiful. I’m proud of it. I would not have been able to do that without Antony. It feels like a home.

GB: Were there any unexpected challenges that turned into opportunities?

E: Not really; we were confined by the space and had to work with it. Really, we had to hone down the ideas more.

Eva runs her business from home. The downstairs space acts as a self-contained unit.

Eva runs her business from home. The downstairs space acts as a self-contained unit.

Image: Dave Kulesza

GB: Was working with an architect what you expected?

E: Initially, I wasn’t sure where the line is drawn between what a builder does and what an architect does. But as I got more familiar with the process, yes, it did meet my expectations.

GB: What advice would you give to someone thinking about using an architect?

E: Go with the big picture and go as elaborately as you want because their job is to ground you, to identify boundaries and to tell you what’s realistic and what’s not. They can help you work out what you can afford, and calculate what will fit into your space.

GB: I like that answer. Don’t let your dreams be dreams.

E: Yeah, why not? Let them help you, because you might get a nice surprise. And MRTN Architects did that, by taking our big dream and making it realistic in terms of both the budget and the physical space. The site is 88 square metres, which is tiny, but MRTN Architects has designed it to suit us perfectly.

GB: Would you use an architect again?

E: Yes, I would!

Eva and Antony Martin will present this house at the upcoming Design Speaks: Our Houses event on Thursday 10 March at Living Edge. Tickets can be purchased from the Design Speaks website.

Source

People

Published online: 4 Mar 2022
Words: Georgia Birks
Images: Dave Kulesza

Issue

Houses, February 2022

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