Architecture that inspires us,
Fairfax & Sammons, Palm Beach, Fl. 2015
A fairly straight-forward design is made quite eye-catching by the addition of a classical stone door-surround and a splash of colour. The Pink Flamingo is a Florida icon after all!
Ille Saint Louis, Paris
The only constant in life is change, so its important to design with the sort of materials that can embrace change. The recently laid natural limestone pictured here is stunning today and will only look better as it gradually ages.
The Treasury: George Temple Poole 1890, FJM Property 2015
Perth's favourite development has us begging the question; why can't we design buildings that combine the beauty we admire in old buildings with the modern functionality we require from the new?
Villa Necchi: Piero Portaluppi, Milan, 1935
Early modernist architects applied the classical rules of proportion, symmetry and scale to a radical palette of brass, steel, stone and glass: and what a result!
If you can’t get to Milan to visit the villa, it features in the 2009 Tilda Swinton film, I Am Love.
Converted warehouse, Fremantle, Early 20C
Early industrial buildings were expansive, light-filled and easy to build. Our office is currently designing an urban-infill development in this seriously chic style.
Woodbridge, Guildford, 1883
A strong sense of symmetry is effected by the central tower with its flanking twin gables, but perfect symmetry can sometimes feel a bit stiff or constrictive, so the designer provides an interesting counterpoint with mismatched wings.
Nauma, Nantucket, 1676
This little beach shack is made quite charming by it's use of natural, well-aging materials and classical architectural details -which just goes to show, even at a very modest scale great design can be achieved!
South Hampton, NY
Some people think of traditional architecture as staid or unoriginal, but such people need only visit the shingle-style houses of America's North East to find that they can be incredibly inventive!
Colchester, England
Dormers (windows that project from a sloping roof) lend charm to a building and are a clever way to decrease wall height in order to meet planning restrictions. The over-scaled chimney also lends great drama to this composition! Incidentally, two of the world's greatest classical architecture firms, QTA & FT&A, are both located in this town.
Louvre, Paris
Architects typically want to be the star of the show, but sometimes good design means stepping back and letting the art and the furniture shine.
The Louvre is a beautiful building, yet it never makes the mistake of vying with the art for our attention.
Photos and text by W O B U R N