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Wallpaper*
The aspect over the hilltops to this recently completed Tasmania house by leading local architectural practice Room 11, is just as impressive as its wider locale; Koonya, an hour-and-a-half drive from Hobart, is extremely picturesque, offering abundant greenery and views over Norfolk Bay. For architect Thomas Bailey, who worked closely with associate director Kate Phillips, this striking new concrete house responds to both the vista over the bay and its undulating site.
A modern Tasmania house
'My family had a beach shack in the area so I know it extremely well,' says Bailey, the practice’s director, who noticed the subject site displayed a ‘Sold’ sticker on its sales board when he was cycling past. Literally 12 hours later there was a phone call from the client (a single guy who regularly travels) wanting Room 11 to build him a new house on this site. 'He was impressed with some of our other brutalist-style homes,' he adds.
This new house by Room 11 is the third structure to be built on this property – following a pavilion known as the ‘glass house’ and also a concrete retreat that takes the form of a piece of sculpture, a covered nook to pause and reflect in the landscape. However, it’s the new house which cantilevers above the terrain that makes the greatest impact.
Extending approximately 35m in length, the entrance is via the high end of the property and through a discreetly placed front door that leads to a set of stairs. It’s only at the bottom of the stairs to the home’s single level that the adrenalin rush truly sets in, with the extensive corridor connecting to the picture window view at the other end.
'Our client, like us, admires the work of Donald Judd (the eminent American sculptor), in particular the way he works with the landscape,' says Bailey, who also created a sculptural building, framed by gravel beds.
Complete with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, including a dramatic mirrored bathroom tied to the main bedroom, the ‘journey’ leads to an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area. To ensure the view remains the ‘hero’, the kitchen is deliberately recessive, with black laminated joinery, a black stone splashback and an island bench. To magnify the view over the bay, there’s also a mirrored insert within the kitchen joinery. While the architectural expression is certainly brave, so are the fine details, including the small timber shutters in the living room walls for cross ventilation. 'These shutters have become a ritual when arriving or departing – not dissimilar to unpacking a suitcase,' adds Bailey.
