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Inside the homes of Australian architects

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John Denton's Yarra Valley property inspired by monumental sculpture and the land art movement of the 1960s.
John Denton's Yarra Valley property inspired by monumental sculpture and the land art movement of the 1960s.()
John Denton's Yarra Valley property inspired by monumental sculpture and the land art movement of the 1960s.
John Denton's Yarra Valley property inspired by monumental sculpture and the land art movement of the 1960s.()
What are the homes that architects build for themselves like? Do they all prefer minimal, polished concrete boxes? Do their living rooms look like the covers of glossy interior design magazines? Stephen Crafti set out to find out, and told Cathy Pryor about his surprising discoveries.
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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.

His new book Architects’ Houses: Twenty Australian Homes, published this month, features the homes of some of this country’s leading architects and provides an insight into their creative process.

‘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.”’

Sue Carr's re-worked Victorian terrace is minimalism at its finest
Sue Carr's re-worked Victorian terrace is minimalism at its finest()

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.’

Sam Marshall and Liane Rossler's house is as much about art objects and artefacts as it is about architecture.
Sam Marshall and Liane Rossler's house is as much about art objects and artefacts as it is about architecture.
An ingenious wall system houses a toy collection in Sam Marshall and Liane Rossler's Sydney home
An ingenious wall system houses a toy collection in Sam Marshall and Liane Rossler's Sydney home()

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.

The home of Rob Brown and Caroline Casey, featured in 'Architects' Houses'()

‘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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Design, Architecture