Model House

An ‘overlay of artworks’ updates this modernist tree house on a sloping site in Hobart’s Sandy Bay. Artworks are collaged into the space to make the interior resonant with the intimate experience of living with modern art.

Designed by David Hartley Wilson in the late 1960s as his residence, the understated exteriorof the house gives way to open plan living spaces reflecting contemporary living patterns. ‘I’ve recently moved back to Australia after two decades overseas,’ says the current owner, the architect’s daughter, Jane. ‘In that time I’ve  been focused on collecting furniture and objects. Now I’m looking for inspiration on how to mix in some new Australian art.’

The Egg Chair by Arne Jacobson upholstered in steel cut fabric; a floor lamp by Alvar Aalto, designed in 1959; the Siam Yamato Steel melt table which was purchased by the owner in Bangkok. The selected artworks add texture and a lived-in feel. They include a set of three gouaches Studies for Carpets by Elizabeth Newman and La Peste by Alex Pittendrigh, made ingeniously from twisted Blu-Tack. On the Afghan tribal rug is Charles O’Loughlin’s floor sculpture, Statistical Prediction for 2012 (study).

An art house is a smart house
Textiles and artworks create colourful accents against rich tones of blackwoodand black and gold linen wallpaper. ‘I remember my father buying the wallpaper on a trip to Melbourne,’ says Jane. ‘It was $75 a roll, which was quite a lot on those days.’ Originally displaying a Nantgawr Welsh fruit service, the shelves now hold a collection of art books and literature and small objects purchased on the homeowner’s travels. Clockwise from the top: Blue Stick, Green and Red Wax, Fresh Triangle, Blue Glass Frame, White Stick, Gold Circle and Green Monochrome  by Merryn Lloyd, created in 2009 and 2010. Next sits Kate Smith’s By the Sea 2008.  Sculptures are by Madeline Kidd and Masato Takasaka, with Bryan Spier’srainbow-colouredTransition 2011 made with synthetic polymer paint on canvas board. Objects include two figures from Haiti, being a gift from a Caribbean friend, a ceramic hedgehog from a local potter and a retro sausage dog letter holder, purchased on eBay.

Dinner for six is a European affair
The table is set with Dutch china, hand-painted Swedish trivets by Rorstrand, Danish stainless steel candle holders, Schott wine glasses from Germany and a Swedish Stig Lindberg platter. A hand-embroidered linen tablecloth adds a touch of class. ‘Sometimes I buy pieces like the ones I grew up with. My parents travelled to Europe in the 1930s and 50s as a part of my father’s architectural practice. They brought back a lot of Scandinavian pieces.’

Artworks complete the metamorphosis into a highly cultured home juxtaposing realism and abstraction through Sharon Goodwin’s Snakes (on the table), Viv Miller’s ‘Untitled’ 2011 and Renee Cosgrave’s Tracings of cut pieces of paper 2012 .

Citrus fruits and branches of rosehip overlay the blackwood sideboard, which, with the table and chairs, were designed by Stephen Walker in 1955. A Victorian kerosene lamp brings old world charm and contrasts with the Wassily chair, designed by Marcel Breuer (after Kandinsky) in 1925.  ‘Living in Bangkok made it easier to buy second hand pieces of classic furniture; it was very fashionable,’ says Jane. 

Drinks on the balcony
Ingfar outdoor furniture spotted with cushions and throws, creating an outdoor room with views across the Derwent River, provides a second living space and relieves pressure on the house. ‘I like to use this space all year round; it really acts as a sort of all purpose room, entertaining, gardening . . . when it is sunny I move out a table and it becomes a home office.’ Pots of mint and a bay tree provide greenery and are useful for the kitchen. Romanescu, Urns 2011, inspired by Catalan Romanesque wall paintings, by Meredith Turnbull are hand-painted in bright stripes of acrylic.

On a different level
Justin Andrew’s mobile Untitled (re)configuration 2010, perfectly complements the circular sweep of the spiral floating staircase.With a custom-made handrail in painted steel and blackwood and Berber carpeted treads, the staircase leads to rooms on the lower ground floor, including a guest quarters, walk in linen closets and a billiard room. ‘My sister remembers the staircase travelling down Sandy Bay Road on the back of a truck when it was being delivered. I’m sure it got the neighbours talking.’

Wow them with ‘wall power’
Here’s Tom Polo’s ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOO,’ 2011 (circular painting), Masato Takasaka’s decorous ‘MT after MT 1994’ 2008 and Ry Haskings’ ‘7-12’ 2011.  A restrained Poltrona Frau sofa in brown leather is teamed with cushions covered in Alvar Aalto ‘Sienna’ fabric (first printed in 1952); the sculpture, ‘Scale Practice’ is by Meredith Turnbull, 2011. ‘Since a recent visit to Tokyo I have become interested in the idea of a house that changes with the seasons. I like the idea of having a collection that includes textiles, ceramics and various artworks that I can rotate depending on the weather, my mood, or the people around me.’ 

A quiet place to read
A minimal colour palette turns the master bedroom into a place of tranquility and retreat. Classic pieces include an art decowalnut-veneer duchess, designed by the architect, D.H.W, circa 1930; a bespoke twisted cedar lamp, the Flou Fivetonine high bed covered in Monsieru fabric, with built-in reading lamp (captured in the reflection). The Gervasoni armchair is framed in american walnut. Paintings are Jessica Lucas’s Eyes and Sean Meilak’s watercolor, Untitled #5. A Balinese painting was purchased in Ubud in 1971 and is a perfect fit with the textured fleur-de-lis wallpaper. ‘My dogs arrive from Singapore in a couple of months where they have been in quarantine. Sheepskins and rugs will protect some of the furniture. With my first Tasmanian winter looming, I’m preparing to bake bread and read my way through the classics.’

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Model House was comissioned for Un Magazine 6.1