Nathaniel Clarke and Pamela Medlen

Perth-based media professionals Nathaniel Clarke and Pamela Medlen had their eye on a very specific spot in the fringe suburb of Bayswater for two years before a block became available. Once they had secured their dream ‘fixer upper’, the couple fast-tracked an extensive renovation and extension, creating a striking contemporary home with a nod to mid-century styling.

Our Perth contributors Anna Flanders and Dion Robeson recently popped by for a visit.

Written

Anna Flanders

Supported by Dulux

The Perth home of Nathaniel Clarke and Pamela Medlen. The main living area opens out to the exterior via huge sliding doors. ‘It’s really great to be able to transition from home time to party time by just sliding the giant door and revealing the bar. This whole room is very fun,’ says Pam. Kilim from Temple Fine Rugs, the Gubi bench stools are from Ultimo and the Godfrey pendants over the Nobilia cabinetry are from Lightly. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The main living area is a large rectangle with white walls (Dulux ‘Natural’ white 50%) and burnished concrete floors (with a black oxide added). The living area is softened with an authentic Berber rug from Temple Fine Rugs and a mix of contemporary pieces with retro lines: Arketipo sofa and floor-standing Blob light, coffee table and Gubi velvet chairs from Ultimo, and Johnny Romeo artwork above sofa from Linton & Kay Galleries. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The dining table is a new design by award-winning Perth-based designer-maker Jack Flanagan, the chairs are by Gubi from Ultimo, as is the vase, and the candelabra and tableware are from Table Culture. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

Pamela finds her kitchen is a dream to cook in and the pair love having friends around. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

An irregular shaped, colourful cabinet from Emmemobili is a fun statement against the white wall, providing a great backdrop to the dining zone. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The Kitchen includes a hidden pantry and scullery to one side. The storage and island are made from German engineered Nobilia cabinetry from Kitchen Choice, and the gas stovetop is Smeg. Pieces scattered across the benchtops are BD Barcelona Showtime vase from Living Edge, Georg Jensen knives, and Ittala pot from Table Culture. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

‘The window splashback was my idea. I’d seen it in a picture and thought it was a wonderful way to let in light. We’ve planted a row of gracilis textilis (slender weavers) bamboo outside the window,’ says Pamela. ‘The idea is we’ll have this screen of verdant green out the window, which we will light up at night.’ Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

Living area, Gubi chair in gold velvet and ceramic barrel side table from Ultimo, with artworks by (centre) Johnny Romeo and (top left) Ben Quilty from Linton & Kay Galleries, plus SHAG and Niagara works from Outre Gallery. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

Pop art pieces are a touch of humour and fun in the home. Artwork is by Johnny Romeo from Linton & Kay, the Pulpo Oda floor-standing light from Ultimo and the side table from Living Edge. The bedlinen is from Pure Linen. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

‘The artworks were found in an old crate on the veranda of the farmhouse my parents bought when they married,’ tells Pamela. The Nobilia cabinetry is the same found throughout the home and the Missoni towels are from Empire Osborne Park. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

A bar was on the couple’s wishlist and the design hides behind a giant sliding wall. ‘Nathaniel wanted a tiki bar, so I used this Grasscloth wallpaper from Wallcandy to create a subtle version of that!’ laughs Pamela. Cocktail apparatus and Speedy glassware and tray from Table Culture. The blue set was found in a second-hand store in Maylands. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The garden was designed by Janine Mendel of Cultivart. The lemon tree was salvaged from the block, cut back to a stump and replanted, while the frangipani was a cutting from a friend’s tree! Seating on the deck is a Driade cane chair and ottoman from Ultimo. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The ‘conversation pit’ with kilim cushions from Asbury Park. The landscape designer Janine Mendel designed a strong mauve theme – wisteria over the pergola, liriope and agapanthus – to tie in with a jacaranda tree outside the back fence. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

The exterior is clad in black-painted Duragroove (Dulux ‘Luck’) and underfoot is spotted gum decking. Styling – Anna Flanders. Photo – Dion Robeson.

Writer

Anna Flanders

9th of May 2017

A dog walk was the catalyst for Nathaniel Clarke and Pamela Medlen’s move to the fringe suburb of Bayswater in Perth. Wanting to escape their increasingly busy neighbourhood, they used their daily dog walk as a sourcing mission to find the perfect place to live. It wasn’t long before they found a spot that ticked all the boxes.

‘We were away on holidays during the home open’ recalls Pamela. ‘I rang the agent and begged them not to sell until we had a chance to come and view it. When we did, we immediately snapped it up. It’s such a lovely, quiet street, so close to the train and the village and we have the most lovely neighbours. It was definitely worth moving’.

The home was a boxy three-bedroom and one-bathroom house built in the 1960s, while the block was a slope of sand, weeds, olive trees and some struggling shrubs and grass. Pamela and Nathaniel wasted no time calling in the experts.

They enlisted Perth based architecture firm The Colour Royale to design an extension, and Bacic Group to build it. Clever design tweaks and material selections were necessary to fulfil the brief on budget – such as swapping exposed aggregate for burnished concrete, and using Bacic’s own insulated concrete walling solution, bWall. Essentially, the house is a concrete rectangle with energy efficient refrigerator panels (Bondor) within it.

‘We actually struggled to find a builder… lots of Perth builders took one look at our sloping block and the retaining walls it would need and wouldn’t even give us a quote!’ Pamela recalls. ‘We were close to giving up, then stumbled across Bacic Group. Their website had some magic words: “We are experts at concrete construction and dream about blocks that other builders are too scared to touch.” They took a look and said it would be no trouble at all!’ tells Pamela.

Architect Aaron King from The Colour Royale dropped the garage, and built the extension over the top. This meant the addition became a self-contained one-bedroom contemporary home, with the original structure now a self-contained as a guest house with Airbnb potential.

The hard edges of this contemporary structure have been softened with the addition of distinctive furniture pieces, soft furnishings and artwork. The space also showcases Pamela and Nathaniel’s love of mid-century lines, pop art, indoor plants and everything Tiki! A retro buffet holds pride of place in the entrance (a gift from Pamela’s parents), and an eclectic mix of old and new gives a cosy, personal feel to the main living area.

‘The whole design is set up for two things: relaxing – in the ensuite bathtub and on the deck; and entertaining’ Pamela admits. ‘We’ve been doing both a fair bit!’

Perth media professionals Nathaniel Clarke and Pamela Medlen. ‘There’s not much we don’t love about the extension… the connection to the outdoors and all the green and verdant plant life we can watch from the indoors, or step right out and be among it,’ says Pamela. It’s very relaxing to live in.’ Photo – Dion Robeson.