The candy cane palette of Sibling Architecture’s latest project is more than just a lolly box filled with fizzy sherbet hues and bubblegum pink. Colour was vital to the clients Nadine Christensen and James Lynch, who are both artists, and became a central component in the design of this home.
The bathroom’s colour scheme looks almost like a tequila sunrise, the beaming orange shower screen giving way to walls lined in white tiles paved with red grout! The inverse exists on the shower floor, where crimson tiles give the washing space a warm, deep glow that echoes the neon pink steel grid latticing the exterior.
Geometric cut-outs of coloured film cling to glazing throughout the structure, mirroring the mid-century contours of Case Study houses along the West Coast of North America. Diagonal lines referencing the butterfly roofs and cranked colonnades typical of mid-century architecture are peppered throughout the house, as ‘using inexpensive, utilitarian materials is offset by a generous approach to colour and texture that complements the client’s extensive art collection,’ Jane explains. She also notes that layering the shapes on coloured doors creates the illusion of movement.
By choreographing the illusion of complicated moving partitions, the architects struck a balance between nurturing family connection and allowing for individual relief. The illusion materialises in practise in the back half of the house, where the connection between the main lounge and dining areas can be opened or closed via a flexible screen that adjusts privacy. ‘If dinner becomes all-absorbing, or the homework and wine drinking gets rowdy, activities can spill out into the outdoor living zone or into the garden beyond,’ Jane explains.
As optimising personal space was also a key priority for the clients, getting the precise balance between communal and private spaces was crucial. ‘The back section is opened up to create a more useable, flexible and communal area for the family,’ says Jane, while the segregated rooms at the front of the house are ‘an opportunity for solace’.
The word ‘unique’ gets bandied around a lot… but this is a home that truly deserves that descriptor. We’ve never seen a home quite like this before!
