Houzz Tour: An Aussie Illustrator's Singularly Creative Space
Built in a Perth backyard, this one-bed home and studio combines simple living and creative working
After spending some time experiencing the small modern apartments of Berlin, designer and illustrator Karin Hearn craved a similarly simple living space, with a creative studio, in her hometown of Perth. However, finding something affordable and functional within the CBD was a challenge.
The solution finally arrived when Hearn bought a sub-divided backyard and approached David Weir, from David Weir Architects, to design a versatile and practical one-bedroom home with adjoining studio. “Together with Karin, we designed a house that would suit her life and her work, and make the most out of this gem of a block,” Weir says. “Her creative input to the project was invaluable; this is very much Karin’s house.”
The solution finally arrived when Hearn bought a sub-divided backyard and approached David Weir, from David Weir Architects, to design a versatile and practical one-bedroom home with adjoining studio. “Together with Karin, we designed a house that would suit her life and her work, and make the most out of this gem of a block,” Weir says. “Her creative input to the project was invaluable; this is very much Karin’s house.”
The house was custom-built and clad in black weatherboard, while the studio part is a prefabricated shed made with specifically sourced corrugated fibre-cement walls. “We had to bring the corrugated cladding over from the UK after Karin spotted it on an episode of British Grand Designs,” Weir says.
As well as referencing the neighbouring heritage buildings, the project had to take into account an enormous jacaranda tree that sat right in the centre of the site. Great lengths were taken to protect and maintain the mature tree and its spreading branches, so the house was designed to wrap around it. The tree now provides shade through the summer and acts like a second roof to limit the intensive heat on the black building.
Profile 6 corrugated sheets: Marley Eternit
As well as referencing the neighbouring heritage buildings, the project had to take into account an enormous jacaranda tree that sat right in the centre of the site. Great lengths were taken to protect and maintain the mature tree and its spreading branches, so the house was designed to wrap around it. The tree now provides shade through the summer and acts like a second roof to limit the intensive heat on the black building.
Profile 6 corrugated sheets: Marley Eternit
However, the beautiful tree did present some problems when it came to the interior, as its huge roots popped up where the slab was to be laid. Weir explains they tackled the problem by simply raising the slab and making the living area sit on a timber platform.
With limited internal walls, and a simple curtain separating the bedroom from the living space and kitchen, the flexible open-plan interior allows Karin to use the whole space in an informal, spacious way, or in more formal manner. “The intention with not having walls, and with having the large windows, is that the space becomes one light-filled room, and the whole house can be utilised at once. At night time the curtain can be drawn and you have your privacy,” Weir says.
The large low windows bring the outside in and blur the boundaries of the small house, creating a larger sense of space.
Here, a friend’s dog, Xolo, gives the space a test run.
The large low windows bring the outside in and blur the boundaries of the small house, creating a larger sense of space.
Here, a friend’s dog, Xolo, gives the space a test run.
Thanks to the small footprint, there’s less space to heat, cool, and illuminate, making the house more energy efficient. “The house has some decent passive design chops too – thermal mass in the floors, north- and south-facing windows for light and heat, lots of windows that open to let the Fremantle Doctor [cooling afternoon sea breeze] blow through the house, and good insulation throughout,” Weir says. The concrete floor also contributes to the efficiency of the house, by absorbing the sun’s heat and keeping the house warm in winter.
Both the kitchen and living room open up onto the garden, with large sliding windows that bring the outside in. On a fine summer’s day the house mixes with the garden and the vast jacaranda branches overhead.
Maxi film birch plywood kitchen: Maxi Plywood
Maxi film birch plywood kitchen: Maxi Plywood
The internal walls of the living areas have been kept bright white to allow Karin’s artwork to pop, while other bright highlights and the black plywood kitchen also draw attention.
Internal doors have been painted vibrant tones to complement Karin’s playful illustrations, to highlight the colours and textures used throughout, and to bring a sense of warmth and depth to the otherwise white and grey box.
A wet room showcases the same seamless concrete floor that runs throughout the house, and features an intense orange skylight in the middle. “We used a bright orange polycarbonate product to create the light, and when the sun shines, the white room glows orange,” Weir says.
In the studio, the rawness of the bare plywood walls reflects Karin’s need for a simple creative space that’s filled with light. The sliding yellow doors open onto the laneway ready to welcome clients and guests, while on the south side…
… soft light streams through the translucent corrugated polycarbonate cladding that was specifically sourced from Italy to match the black corrugated exterior walls.
The success of this small house is surely testament to the architect’s strong working relationship with the client. “Karin was really hands-on, she even built some cabinet work and installed her studio ceiling. She worked with us all the way to make sure every design choice worked with the style and attitude of the house,” Weir says.
Who lives here: Illustrator and designer Karin Hearn
Location: Mount Lawley, WA
Year built: 2015
Property size: 60 square metres; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, plus a 30-square-metre studio, all on a 242-square-metre block
Architect: David Weir Architects
Awards: Shortlisted for the 2016 Houses Awards in the Sustainability and New House under 200 square metre categories, and Special Mention at the 2016 Architizer A+ Awards
Karin searched for an architect to create a small-block solution, who would realise the potential of the unique location and site, rather than a project home builder. “The nature of this beautiful inner-city site, tucked away on a quiet laneway, allowed for wonderful opportunities that a project home wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of,” Weir says. “For example, the backyard faces onto an old service lane of historical worker’s cottages and tool sheds, therefore the environment naturally informed the industrial-style materials.”