English text by Angela Feng
Photography by Michael Nicholson, Robert Frith, and Jack Lovel
Situated in Floreat, Australia, one of Perth’s loveliest garden suburbs, this contemporary concrete home draws inspiration from the area’s modernist history. Elegant and timeless, the home reflects the unique attributes of its location while serving all the needs and desires of its residing family.
The owners wanted a mostly single-storied home with a modest facade, instead of a typical mansion.
Designer Neil Cownie has been providing clients with impeccable, hands-on service since the founding of his firm in 2009. At Neil Cownie Architect, Neil is the point of contact throughout the entire project. He is genuinely involved in all stages of the process, from design development to on-site administration.
In 2009, Neil Cownie founded his architecture and design practice Neil Cownie Architect, where the focus is on providing clients with a hands-on boutique service. Neil’s studio explores the parameters of each project to find an outcome that is unique to the site and client.
With the Roscommon House, it is no different. Neil was given the opportunity to take a holistic design approach, covering everything from architecture to interior design to landscape.
Neil’s clients wanted to avoid the “mansion look,” instead opting for a home with a more modest facade. Therefore, most of Roscommon House is single-storied, though it does contain a basement and a roof garden accessible from the master bedroom.
The curved forms of the roofs take inspiration from the local iconic South City Beach kiosk. Vibrant fabrics for the furniture, along with pops of color on the walls, give the home a playful touch.As the area is home to Perth’s first off-form concrete building—the Hale School Memorial Hall—the use of concrete throughout Roscommon House is especially appropriate. The continuation of the robust exterior material to the inside of the house contributes to the home’s seamless interaction between indoor and outdoor living.
-
- The courtyard dining table is custom-designed by Neil Cownie Architect. The custom-cut vitrified tile top stands on a fabricated powder-coated metal base.
-
- The courtyard dining table is custom-designed by Neil Cownie Architect. The custom-cut vitrified tile top stands on a fabricated powder-coated metal base.
Through the spatial arrangement of courtyards, the building incorporates the history of the garden suburb into the house.
The interior embraces its uneven concrete surfaces, channeling the Japanese aesthetic of “wabi-sabi,” seeking beauty from imperfection. Materials have been chosen for their roughness, texture, modesty, and acceptance of the beauty in aging.
In the living room, the rich blue Redondo sofa and the ombre rug adds a pop of color.
While his clients’ desire for a gray concrete home at first excited Neil, he soon faced the challenge of creating an end product that still felt warm and welcoming. To balance out the coolness of the concrete, Neil layered on other materials, such as the timber wall and ceiling cladding.
In the family room, the wood and concrete shell is accented with a steel stair railing and a glazed window wall. The playful blue rug is custom-designed by Neil Cownie Architect and fabricated by Nanimarquina.
The use of unique shapes and colors add a sense of refined fun. The curved forms of the roofs take inspiration from the local iconic South City Beach kiosk. Vibrant fabrics for the furniture, along with pops of color on the walls, give the home a playful touch.
The curved forms of the roofs take inspiration from the local iconic South City Beach kiosk. Vibrant fabrics for the furniture, along with pops of color on the walls, give the home a playful touch.
Neil’s dedication to sustainability played a major role in the design of the house. “This house was designed to reduce energy and water consumption over its projected long lifespan,” he says. The front roof conceals a 16.5 kW photovoltaic array comprising 50 panels, allowing the house to be self-sufficient with its energy. Timbers and finishes within the house were sourced from sustainable resources.
-
- In the study room, a gently curved ceiling balances out the stricter lines of the wall paneling and inset shelves. The sofa and armchair are both from Mobilia.
-
- Natural light shines through a rounded skylight over the stairs, leading to the master bedroom and rooftop garden.
The undulating lines of the pool and overhead awning add a sense of refined fun.
-
- The undulating lines of the pool and overhead awning add a sense of refined fun.
-
- A four-seat sofa and a mesh table with an aluminum top, both from the Kettal Mobilia collection, make this covered outdoor terrace the perfect place to relax.
© ELITE Lifestyle Magazine 2019
