An advertisement for an event at the gay sauna called 253 Baths that operated in the 1970s and 80s in Darlinghurst.
Asked if you can design a house to be happy, Lim replies, “Absolutely.”
Lim, a director of Sibling Architecture, had wanted to build a home with the warmth and generosity of her relatives in Malaysia where the family gathered for huge dinners.
“The living area is not that big, but the spaces feel very generous because you have height,” she said. The ceiling rises to five metres high in one spot, making the floor area of 40 square metres feel roomy enough to seat at least 10 people around the kitchen table.
Flowering climbers cover trellises next to the bush reserve, providing privacy.
A horse shoe found in the old horse stables was embedded in concrete floors in two rooms at The Stable, the house designed by architect Qianyi Lim and shortlisted for a NSW architecture prize.Credit:Qianyi Lim
Like Rudolfsson, Lim also wanted to pay homage to the site’s history. The old cottage was built in the 1880s along with old stables at the back that once housed horses.
“It is important to retain these historic or heritage items,” said Lim. “Sydney is changing so quickly and the risk is we may lose some memory of the past.” Some walls of the old stables were incorporated into the new home, and two horseshoes found were laid in the concrete floors.
Rudolfsson said the most important thing when designing for a client was for them “to be happy rather than having a beautiful building.”
He hadn’t expected to live in the house, originally building it to rent. But he decided to move in with his husband “because it was fun”. It made him happy, he said.
After 30 years of being an architect, and mostly using natural materials, Rudolfsson, a director of RAAarchitects, said the use of the tiled mosaic – particularly the extravagance of the gold leaf – added a nice splash of colour.
Stable house designed by architect Qianyi Lim.Credit:Katherine Lu.
“I think it works well from the historical point of view. We have these raw concrete blockwork walls, and the garage is untreated, and then we have this precious mosaic tile next to it. It is a nice feel, and it also feels gritty. ”
It was also true to the neighbourhood. “Sometimes you open the door, and you come into this Pandora’s box where everything is amazing. That is a kind of nice surprise when you see actually see old terraces that haven’t been changed or painted for 30 years. [Here] you see the gold, it is a surprise.”
The author is a lay juror on the panel deciding the Australian Institute of Architects’ NSW Award for new housing. Winners will be announced in July.
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Bright with bling and colour: Two happy homes that bring new life to forgotten inner-city spaces
Source: Philippines Alive
