Habitusliving.com

House of Light Voids
Three Peaks House
Sustainable Carpets for Eco-Friendly Homes
Meaningful Moments with Tom Mark Henry’s Jade Nottage

Posted: 28 Nov 2021 03:00 PM PST

Nestled into a skinny block of land in the North Sumatran city of Medan, Indonesia, House of Light Voids redefines the conventions of Indonesian design through precise minimalism.

From his home in Medan, Indonesia, Raymond Boedi tells me that he wanted to show his city something different. In contrast to Medan's usual intricate and colourful design, Boedi's ultra-minimalist home, known as House of Light Voids, has achieved just this.

The home, as it turns out, was purpose-designed by and for Boedi to live in with his partner, but more importantly as an example of what his practice is capable of. "I actually designed this house to really represent my firm," he says, elaborating that the project is part showroom and part portfolio.

The advanced minimalism acts in sheer contrast to the cultural heritage of Medan, where, according to Boedi, houses are generally traditional, highly ornamented, and likely to use gold paint accents. "I think rather than represent, we wanted to break this stigma of houses in Indonesia," says Boedi.

Even from the façade, the house contrasts with the architecture of the North Sumatran capital. A sheer cement wall rises stoically out of the perfectly trimmed petite front lawn, while on either side of the skinny building, low, spiked and slightly ornate ageing metal fences give an indication of the general style of the neighbourhood.

Just as aesthetically poetic as the name suggests, House of Light Voids is a three-storey building characterised by voids in the structure that allow light to spill down through the lower levels of the home. On the upper levels, solid floor slabs have been traded for galvanised grating, allowing natural light to permeate from the glass skylights.

On the ground level, the light meets small courtyards that are integrated into the living space. These courtyards differentiate the kitchen and dining from the lounge area, actively demarcating spaces without any structural partitions.

"When I designed this house, my dining and my kitchen were created as one space," says Boedi, explaining that it suits his family's routine of buying food from outside rather than cooking at home. The intersection of spaces, says Boedi, helps to create a spacious feeling inside the house, which is built on just 150 square metres of land.

Boedi's studio, byrayboedi, is a subsidiary of Medan-based design studio KE.RA. Prior to this house, his studio had worked mainly on commercial design, and Boedi encountered difficulties finding builders who could build to their requirements.

"It's very difficult for us to find good contractors that can understand the details that we want, the craftsmanship that we want to achieve. So sometimes for the walls and the furniture we have to repeat them two to three times to achieve that craftsmanship," explains Boedi.

Boedi's high standards meant that the couple prioritised achieving precision over maintaining their budget, which went almost three times over their original plan. The perfectionism paid off though, as the house has become an investment in his business, offering a practical example of what is possible. Through building the house, Boedi was able to develop strong relationships with a contractor that he now uses for new projects.

Recently, Boedi has started picking up more residential clients, a shift that came alongside Covid-19. "People tend to work from home and stay at home," says Boedi. "The house has become a more important aspect in their lives".

Although the House of Light Voids contrasts with much of Indonesian architecture and design, the minimalism was unsurprising to many of Boedi's friends. "They know me, and I kept bragging about my house, how I want to live," he says. When it came to actually living in the renovated home though, the Boedi family found it still took an adjustment.

"My wife and I now tend to have less things. We tried to figure out what's important, things that we can keep and what we don't need to buy," he shares.

To throw a spanner in the works of a minimalist, Raymond and his wife recently had a baby. "I think we just agree now that we can't really control it anymore. There's a lot of children's toys scattered around," he laughs.

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Three Peaks House

Posted: 28 Nov 2021 02:00 PM PST

Framed by mountains and overlooking Lake Wanaka, Three Peaks House captures the essence of the small township on New Zealand's South Island.

Protected from the elements, this tactile house responds to the region's disparate weather conditions, which get below freezing point in winter and turn into dry, hot summers.

For Sydney-based architect Michael Cumming, the project was an opportunity to spend more time in New Zealand's southern alps, taking in the breathtaking scenery that includes the mountain ranges of Roy's Peak, Treble Cone and Mt. Aspiring.

"I wanted to ensure the breadth of these mountains was included from inside this new house, including the peaks," says Cumming, who noticed that many homes on the South Island didn't fully embrace this opportunity. "I just couldn't simply slice of these peaks for those sitting in a living room, or in their bedrooms," says Cumming, whose design includes high-raked, timber-lined ceilings.

Designed for a retired couple who share their time between Sydney and Wanaka, an hour's drive from the main skiing town of Queenstown, the single-storey house is well-anchored on the 1300-square-metre site. Rather than see everything upon arrival, Cumming took a more Japanese approach, creating an entrance with an internal courtyard planted with a single Japanese maple tree.

Three Peaks House was conceived as two wings, with a courtyard garden at the core, and bridged by a raised timber deck with a stone fireplace. "The brief was for a fairly flexible design, one that would accommodate family and friends but also respond to a couple coming here on their own," says Cumming.

As a consequence, there are two bedrooms on one side of the floorplan, including the main bedroom and ensuite. And to the other side is a bunk room with a 'flexible' room. This room can be used as an additional bedroom or as a play area for grandchildren, hence the inclusion of a large timber sliding door between it and the passage.

Aside from the discretely framed aspect at the entrance, the 'hero shot' views are captured from the kitchen and living areas, as well as from the main bedroom with the latter also having its own deck. "One of the dilemmas of the siting was not only capturing the mountains but also the northern light, particularly given the weather during the colder months," says Cumming, who was also keen to create a warm and intimate interior.

The dark-stained timber and stone used for the exterior continues into the interior, with local Otago Schist used inside and also to shape the sculptural open fireplace on the terrace.

Timber was used generously to line many of the ceilings in the main living areas and the main bedroom, the latter extending to part of the walls to create a sense of envelopment.

Other touchstones include concrete hearths with gas fires ensuring that the house can be instantly warm upon arrival. Cumming was also conscious of 'crafting' a house, with many of the features, such as the timber island bench in the kitchen, made by Mark Tuckey.

The polished concrete floors also function as a heat bank absorbing the north-west sunlight. Given the location and the ability to ski at Wanaka, this house also includes features such a mud room adjacent to the double garage, where ski gear can be removed. And for those extra guests who might decide to arrive at the last minute, there's the bunk room.

While many are eager to don their skis or mountain boots and explore the magical terrain at Wanaka, others will be just as content sitting in front of the outdoor fireplace, with a glass of wine and simply contemplating this magical environment.

"As one would expect, once you are there, the duration of the stay gets longer… and longer. And here, literally every room comes with a view, even from the kitchen and looking towards Granny's Bay (a little pebbled beach)," says Cumming, showing his original schematics depicting a series of arrows to key landmarks. "The intent was to capture all these views," he says modestly.

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Sustainable Carpets for Eco-Friendly Homes

Posted: 28 Nov 2021 11:00 AM PST

Climate change, carbon emissions and sustainability are never far from the minds of modern consumers and homeowners. As individuals, even the smallest contribution matters, particularly as the environmental challenges of our time get bigger. Home renovations and new builds are great opportunities to contribute to a more sustainable future for our planet through the selection of eco-friendly products and materials. While the softness, safety and versatility of carpets make them a great option for flooring, the carpet industry is noteworthy for its lack of sustainability.

Frontier – Nurture

For those looking for long lasting, beautiful carpet that will keep its look with the environment in mind, carpets made using ECONYL® yarn offer a compelling solution. Invented by Aquafil, this innovative material is made of 100% recycled yarn from recovered nylon waste products – including fishing nets, fabric scraps and carpets destined for landfill – which means your next carpet can be made without ever tapping into new resources or using a single barrel of oil.

Carpets made using ECONYL® regenerated nylon are soft and luxurious to the touch, with the resilience, staining and wearing properties of nylon but now in one of the most environmentally-friendly products on the market. Carpet Court's new Australian-made ranges offer all these benefits, and more, in carpets that each feature a distinct style, colourway, look and feel.

Expanse – Raven

Exclusive to Carpet Court, this new ec0-friendly carpet collection features three soft feel twist pile ranges, a more luxurious soft touch collection, and three high-performing modern textured loop ranges, all in on-trend colours and designs. The Textured collection includes the opulent Expanse range; Genesis, with its neutral, organic colour palette; and the hardwearing Frontier.

The Premium Soft collection retains all the features of traditional solution-dyed nylon, with dense yarns creating exceptionally elegant carpets. This collection includes Origins, which expertly balances durability and comfort, and the luxuriously soft Source range available in a large palette of natural carpet colours.

Frontier – Poppy

Where the application calls for high-performance carpeting, the Performance collection, which features the Awaken, Inception and Provenance ranges, is the ideal option. The yarns in these ranges are individually twisted to create a carpet that is exceptionally durable and resilient.

These new offerings reflect Carpet Court's intention to decrease their impact on the planet into the future, which is why the company has partnered with a leader in the sustainable use of nylon. Through Aquafil's innovative production techniques, nylon waste can be purified and turned into carpet yarn that is structurally identical to its virgin equivalent. The ECONYL® process enables endless deconstruction and recycling without any loss of quality.

Expanse – Fern

When you are looking at the sustainability of a carpet, you need to look at the environmental impact of the product's entire lifecycle. The proof is in the numbers – for every 10,000 tonnes of ECONYL® regenerated nylon produced, 70,000 barrels of oil are preserved and 65,000 tonnes of CO2 are avoided in emissions.

Carpet Court's innovative eco-friendly carpets made from ECONYL® regenerated nylon are now available in-store.

Carpet Court

carpetcourt.com.au

Origins – Birch

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Meaningful Moments with Tom Mark Henry’s Jade Nottage

Posted: 28 Nov 2021 06:13 AM PST

Personality magnetically draws us to a place and makes it meaningful. It does not arise from a standard recipe, but from the dynamic interplay of elements infused with flourishes of individuality and aesthetic boldness. Tom Mark Henry is a studio that is known for its ability to colour in the blank canvas of the built form with a unique and compelling interior story that invites us to write ourselves into the narrative.

The studio’s projects, including hospitality, gyms, homes and commercial offices, become characters within the urban landscape, engaging, conversational and richly layered in their materiality. Colour and form, movement and stillness, past and present all find their point of balance and harmony. At the heart of the creative process are also meaningful relationships with clients, and envisioning those who will find belonging in a space.

In selecting furnishings, Tom Mark Henry's director, Jade Nottage, looks for pieces that are both bold and striking in their personality, yet have a classic, timeless and enduring quality. She was drawn to the Issho Dining Table by King for its character and its potential to become a lasting legacy piece.

Photography: Tim Robinson | Styling: Lara Hutton

"I loved this table for so many reasons! For me this has the right blend of striking personality and classic elements."

Issho is available in three signature finishes including Congo (pictured), and an American Walnut – a timber Nottage says she is always drawn to for its quality, rich colouration and its connection to the time-honoured traditions of crafting fine furniture. Issho – with its distinctive Modernist touch of the artistic and versatile leg placement – balances the tradition of centuries with a dramatic future-forward geometry. The organic softening of the round top complements the verticality and solidity of the legs.

Issho means "together" in Japanese, and when Nottage imagines the life around the table, she pictures a gathering of her closest friends. A feast, with a banquet of Japanese sushi and vibrant conversation and laughter as everybody relaxes, dining casually and passing platters, making up for time apart after the recent months of pandemic lockdowns.

"I have felt significant solitude over the past three months," she muses.

This experience of being alone is a complete contrast to the nature of the projects and the design process Nottage engages in. Tom Mark Henry does not have a palette, per se, she says. Its motivation is "always to get to the bottom of what the client is wanting".

"Our job is to guide them, because at the end of the day it is their home, restaurant or bar. Our goal is to have a client who is happy."

In designing a home, Nottage invites clients to reflect on how long they will use spaces for, how many children there are or may be and what space they will need to occupy.

The design may not start with a blank slate, she explains. In many cases, clients have items of furniture or artwork that have intense personal meaning and emotional importance. Nottage respects this connection.

"I consider it has its place from the outset [of designing]. I respect people owning that item and support them being proud of owning that item. We ask people to be very open with us early on, and it is a trust that they let us into their homes and share those precious things that are heirlooms for them."

The process of aligning with a client and their needs and vision means designers are "asking people to drop their façades a little bit with us". That vulnerability and openness is key to ensuring that when a project is complete, the result will be exactly what the client wanted.

"That is the human side of this business. We come into this as a creative, but the whole client management side is enormous. There is design, but there is also budget and construction to consider. "We care a lot – we dream about our jobs – it is not a job you check out from at the end of the day. The people side carries with you."

Tom Mark Henry
tommarkhenry.studio

King Living
kingliving.com

Styling: Lara Hutton
H&MUA: Wayne Chick
Photography: Tim Robinson
Photography Assistant: Corey Madden
Production: Eve Milburn

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Food And Recipe Fusion

Tuesday, November 30, 2021