Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Mechanized Shutters Protect This Australian Home From Prying Eyes

Mechanized Shutters Protect This Australian Home From Prying Eyes

The timber-batten shell opens to lake views and then closes for privacy.

The multidisciplinary team at State of Kin, a Perth-based design studio, wanted to create a uniquely Australian home, one that incorporated a variety of both multicultural and local sources. The idea of such a mix, says State of Kin Director Ari Salomone, "is quite true to the Australian vernacular."



For Shutter House, the design began with an appreciation of traditional Japanese architecture, with its emphasis on graceful wood working and design elements that maximize natural light.



In keeping with this inspiration, the team created the defining feature of the home’s facade: Enormous timber batten shutters, which open and close mechanically to provide privacy while allowing for ventilation and unobstructed views of the adjacent lake.



Fully open, the shutters jut straight out to become awnings, filtering light to the spaces within. The shutters recall historic Australian homes, as well. Those homes, says Salomone, often featured "a wide veranda and deep eaves with shading mechanisms to create useable outdoor spaces."

Along with the challenge of marrying a Japanese facade to their overall concept, State of Kin initially struggled with the home’s site, which slopes steeply towards Lake Monger. Eventually, the slope became a key opportunity to bring outdoor living and light deep into the home.



Strikingly, State of Kin used the slope to incorporate multilevel gardens and patios at the back of the house. This allows each of the first floor bedrooms to have its own private courtyard, including one with a cutaway peak into the double-height swimming pool. On the second floor, the living spaces take full advantage of the pool deck and dining area.



Finally, the ground floor has space for a six-car garage, a wine cellar, and an opening for a dramatic glass-encased stairwell.



State of Kin built large retaining walls to keep the living spaces in the rear private. But the front of the house can be opened to wide views of Lake Monger, a historic heritage site traditionally known as Keiermulu to the Whadjuk Noongar peoples.



From the start, State of Kin knew the blank canvas of the walls-both the exposed concrete and the bright white-called for vibrant, oversized art. They were delighted to discover West Australian artist Elle Campbell fit their needs to a T. "We felt that Elle’s art suited the home perfectly," says Salomone. "It is vibrant, playful, and sparks a sense of joy."



Like the artwork, the furnishings were chosen early in the process to counter the exposed concrete and dark wood with softer shapes, color, and textured surfaces.



For the main living area, State of Kin worked with local furniture design company Mobilia. Together, they specified Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola’s new sofa to anchor the room. In a twist, the sofa takes its name from a Japanese word referring to stones rendered smooth by time and water, which are called gogan. "It is soft and organic and plays nicely against the hard lines of the architecture in this part of the home," says Salomone.



The team incorporated other subtle reminders of the Japanese theme into the project, with minimal furniture, low beds, and a large sliding screen to hide the understated kitchen.



In the kitchen, exposed concrete ceilings are matched by the heft of locally-sourced granite, quartzite, and travertine countertops, but there is nothing muted about these stones. Densely ribboned, the kitchen island stands isolated in the middle of the room, its utility easily mistaken for art.



When choosing what shades would go into the home's color palette, the design team drew heavily on the Western Australian landscape. "We looked to the Pindan red dirt of the Northwest, the luminous white beaches, the dusty eucalyptus greens," says Palomone. In the wet areas, the team used terra-cotta grout to offset the simple grid of Sugie tiles on the floors and walls.



One of the small, bedroom patio gardens captures the mixed-material style of the interior in a more understated way: An unpainted concrete block wall, a whitewashed brick wall, and dark-stained decking all contrast with the subtle gray-greens and pale pinks of the soft foliage and plump green chair cushions.



The wooden steps leading to the pool deck, and the rounded underwater steps in the pool play complement the rounded sofas inside.



"We have heard ‘Milan apartment’, ‘Japanese pavilion’, ‘Slim Aarons-style 70’s glamour’, among others, in reference to this house" says Salomone. "We really love the way that a visitor will project their own history, experiences, and style into their understanding of it."


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×