LDS Residence I was conceived as a generous new home for our clients to raise their young family, as well as a place to host extended family gatherings. The key challenge of the design lay in devising a plan that comfortably mediates between the public and the private spheres of family life. The resulting design seeks to present the LDS Residence as a contemporary entertainer’s home in the spirit of the beloved mid-century modern homes that dot the surrounding neighbourhood of Caulfield.

Located on a large block along a busy suburban thoroughfare, the design couples a restrained and highly formal street façade with a far more open and playful northern elevation that fronts onto the property’s expansive grounds. This brings about a distinct contrast, both physically and atmospherically, between the more formal ‘public’ interface of the house and the casual nature of the rear which transitions between indoor and outdoor through a cloistered courtyard.

Internally, the home utilises a number of strategies that facilitate both small and larger family gatherings whilst engendering a sense of intimacy. As there was a need for several ground floor living and entertaining spaces the planning adopted the Kahnian concept of servant and served space with a clear hierarchy of spaces and the use of primary and secondary circulation. The use of delicate timber screens rather than doors was implemented to allow the various spaces to feel connected without losing their sense of intimacy, permitting light and views to penetrate the central circulation corridor. The screens also nod to the highly crafted, integrated interiors of Krimper, Zoureff and Holgar & Holgar, who were responsible for several of the mid-century modern homes that mark a defining chapter in Caulfield’s architectural history.

A number of factors contributed to the development of the ground floor’s striking barrel vault ceiling that extends the full width of the home. The rhythm and order that the vault bays bring to the planning help to provide an overarching visual clarity to the large plan. The individual vaults enhance the viewer’s perception of each room, whilst still allowing the overall interior to flow from one to space the other. In this way, the different rooms, be they primary areas or circulation, are unified in their architectural expression.

In order to ensure that the pure form of the vaults remained as uncluttered as possible, mechanical systems for heating and cooling were concealed within the walls and joinery, while spotlights for artworks were used in lieu of general overhead lighting. Combined with the considered placement of task lighting, floor lights, and pendants, the home’s lighting strategy curates a series of considered moments. A sunken lounge sits at the intersection of the central axis and core living zones, defining the heart of the home. Apart from evoking the opulence and flair of the conversation pit in Saarinen’s Miller house, the sunken lounge also functions as an invaluable planning device. The lounge enhances the proportions of the greater living area and the barrel vaults above to create both a larger social ‘hearth’ and an informal room at the same time. The sunken seating affords views from the front door through to the cloister and landscape beyond.

The approach to materiality for the home aimed to reaffirm the architectural intent – facilitating large gatherings while fostering a sense of intimacy. The palette comprised a limited selection of natural materials to allow the detailing, furnishings, artwork, and objects to hold focus. Timber and travertine were applied in a variety of ways both internally and externally – as flooring, joinery, and in parts to echo the structure – to provide a sense of continuity and calm. These robust materials call attention to the enduring quality of the architecture and are left unadorned to patina over time. Much of the joinery is expressed in an architectural way to mirror the building’s forms, proportions and geometries.