Architecture writer Stephen Crafti has written about many homes over the years, but his most recent venture has seen him enter the ultimate inner sanctum of design—the homes of architects themselves.
I actually love the ideas that architects come up with, rather than what things look like.
‘That’s what I love about architecture,’ says Crafti. ‘I actually love the ideas that architects come up with, rather than what things look like.
‘That’s what I’m looking for—simple ideas, beautifully expressed. I want to show a broad selection of houses instead of saying, “Well, all architects live in a minimal concrete and glass box.”’
According to Crafti, a surprising number of the homes featured in the book are modest in terms of size and materials, and quite a few are still works in progress.
‘There are things that aren’t finished. There is a wonderful architect called Drew Heath in Sydney. The house is quite extraordinary, it really did take my breath away, and things are unfinished, cupboards don’t open correctly and when I’d try to open them I would say to Drew, “What’s all that about?” He’d say, “Oh well, I will get to it.”
‘Caroline Casey and Rob Brown in Sydney, another couple featured in the book, their house at the front is peeling paint, so there is that element of the unfinished.’
Crafti says he would like to see more discussion about the variety of design on offer in Australia and believes too many architecture and interior design magazines concentrate on a glossy formula, so many homes end up looking the same.
According to Crafti, another advantage of the homes architects design for themselves is the removal of the sometimes fraught relationship between architect and client. The architect is given creative licence to design the home of their dreams.
‘I do think when an architect has the opportunity to design their own home they can actually try out things that they know are quite novel or adventurous, and a client would say, “Look I’m not sure about it.”
‘This way the architect can say, “I can give it a go; if it doesn’t work we can change things around.”’
Architect’s Houses by Stephen Crafti (Murdoch Books) is out now.
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