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Review: Queer Spaces – An Atlas of LGBTQIA+ Places and Stories
The art of decay
Xavier. The definition? Your bright, new home
Authentic materials star in this new Brisbane build

Review: Queer Spaces – An Atlas of LGBTQIA+ Places and Stories

Posted: 05 Jun 2022 07:12 PM PDT

Architecture at its heart exists to provide people with a physical environment. Yet, it also represents more than just the physical environment, but as a part of our culture, representation, and who we are.

In reading Queer Spaces: An Atlas of LGBTQIA+ Places and Stories there are a hundred stories about the importance of place for queer people universally, and with voices so commonly silenced, this collection opens the doors towards queer history through our environment.

Curated and edited by Adam Nathaniel Furman and Joshua Mardell, the book brings to light the importance of spaces through time, revealing intrinsic truths people like myself have rarely heard. It is an empowering and emotional collection that offers a new lens into the rights and history of queer people creating, designing and transforming spaces.

The book is all-encompassing, with personal essays of over 50 contributors across the globe including Australian voices of architecture lecturer Dr Timothy Moore and research fellow in architectural history Dr Soon-Tzu Speechley. Broken into three spheres: 'domestic', 'communal', and 'public', it pulls together the importance of these places through time and space. It forms an almost cohesive yet broad narrative starting from individual solace, to historical hubs to cultural refuges.

From the introduction by the editors, Queer Spaces lays the message that archiving these spaces in itself is a form of activism, and it doesn't shy away from heart-warming tales, to the confronting. Each space of every scale is brought in sharp vignettes – sometimes personal, sometimes holistic. And the choice of images is definitive with snapshots of lives in these times and designs of these architectural moments.

Personal highlights come in the form of spaces hidden in plain sight. The essay on the South City Beach Kiosk in Perth talks of incremental gatherings redefining a simplistic Brutalist kiosk into a place of celebrated liberation. Yet another comes in the form of peeling back preconceptions – the essay on Hijra communities in Bangladesh unveils the marginalised lifestyle of children, not fully identifying as male, welcomed into hidden rooftop communities.

Queer Spaces is a meaningful contribution to the lives, history and architectural sanctuaries of queer people. It highlights the need for works like this to exist, and that unpacking these narratives from people of all walks of life is essential. It shows that spaces for queer-identifying individuals have always been a part of society, now and throughout history. Sometimes these places are forever. Other times, a single moment.

It speaks of the tribulations, denial and abuses these spaces protect oneself against. Queer Spaces captures the moments of these places through the voices of dozens of queer designers, survivors and historians long silenced. This collection embodies what architecture is: a representation of how we see ourselves, the world around us, and our place within it.

Queer Spaces: An Atlas of LGBTQIA+ Places and Stories by Adam Nathaniel Furman and Joshua Mardell

*Taormina, Sicily, Italy. 'Flowering Almonds', c 1890–1914, by Wilhelm von Gloeden*.

*Finella, Queen’s Road, Cambridge: the North Pink living room seen through the folding doors, courtesy of RIBA collections.*

Publisher – RIBA Publishing
R.R.P. $69.99
ISBN 9781914124211

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The art of decay

Posted: 05 Jun 2022 07:05 PM PDT

From a small floral boutonnière to precinct-sized landscape design, Singapore-based botanical design studio This Humid House brings a reverence and respect for its natural material of choice: plants and flowers.

Founded by John Lim in 2017, This Humid House came on the heels of a series of chances. While taking a break from a successful career as an architect, Lim's brother asked for his keen design eye on the floral arrangements for his upcoming wedding.

Lim soon discovered that there wasn't a florist that adequately represented the natural environment of Singapore; one where greenery and nature overflowed with abundance.

The realisation made Lim think about the highly developed food culture throughout Southeast Asia and wonder why the same wasn't expressed in floristry and landscaping.

This set the philosophy of This Humid House – to showcase the sophistication and nuance of Singaporean flora.

Fast forward a few years, and the studio has grown into a much larger operation encompassing 14 staff, online retail and a secret cutting garden. Lim is quick to share the limelight with the whole team, crediting the "There is a design pedagogy driving how we think about and frame things." collective hard work and collaborative approach that has allowed This Humid House to flourish.

Much in the same way that he came to discover a passion for botanicals tangentially, most of the team don't come from a traditional floristry background. There are sculptors and landscape designers mixed with retail experts, a head gardener and operation staff.

It's a deliberate choice that brings together broad skills to encourage lateral thinking and "manifestations of different media". The fusion of a cross-disciplinary team allows them to stretch and learn.

Unlike other art forms, especially architecture, This Humid House's floral work is defined by its inevitable decay. "We use living media, it's all plant-based, it has life in it – but as soon as it is cut, the clock starts ticking," muses Lim.

The ebb and flow of time and the cycles of nature are ever-present. Months of planning and preparation quickly shift gears once they're within the window of creation for an installation. Every piece has a definitive life span.

Given the nature of the process, it's essential that every person in the team is an astute problem solver. Regardless of the test runs, things don't always go to plan.

But that is also reflective of the beauty of nature itself.

What stands out through the studio's work is exploration. Lim articulates that they think and execute projects as a subset of the design education that he and many in his team experienced.

"There is a design pedagogy driving how we think about and frame things," he says. Questioning and extrapolating is an inherent part of the vocabulary, where creative huddles, show-and-tell, and endless references shape the dialogue.

Lim says that the team is always looking at things through a lens of art and design, drawing inspiration from disparate places – a woven fibre wall hanging, a sponge-like sculpture – and then breaking it down to how they might achieve a similar quality.

At its very essence, Lim says This Humid House is aspiring to create an emotional connection, "We talk about feelings a lot – what kind of feeling do we want to evoke? And then we calibrate the texture, colour, movement and proportion to get there".

Despite being in opposition to the ephemerality of the floral installations, This Humid House's landscape design work follows the same line of thinking. Underpinning all of the studio's work is an anthropological consideration. Lim explains that flowers and plants have been used throughout history in religious contexts, rituals, as expressions of beauty, and he's quick to take on the power and impact that can have, even if it's for something short-lived and temporary.

This Humid House
humidhouse.com

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Xavier. The definition? Your bright, new home

Posted: 05 Jun 2022 06:35 PM PDT

A simple gesture is the first thing you see coming to Xavier, a lack of a front fence and white painted brickwork resting graciously at the end of a dead-end street. Brick folds itself like a layered folding curtain welcoming you to its doors.

Named Xavier, the definition being "new home" and "bright", is a thoughtful touch by Bryant Aslop Architects. Thoughtful touches like this ebb through the home. The brightness of Xavier is emphasised by the home's subtle curves and delightful timber finishes. And even with its modern touches, there is reminiscence akin to coastal cottages and lighthouses.

Its form masters angle with its surrounding landscape, alcoves and windows that welcome light and nature. At the entrance, the choice of natural materials such as timber, wool and marble make it apparent the design was to exude a beckoning comfort.

Inside, there's a satisfying trickery to the home's layout. Dancing between an airy open plan and clever corridors, you realise that the interior almost mimics the exterior. The parallel embodies a sense of wholeness to the home and is a choice that isn't as common as one might think.

The interior matches the white brickwork and curved walls with its corridors – the wooden facades layering each door and corner with refined grace. It's not what you expect, but the surprise itself is delightful.

The cohesiveness of the design borders on genius artisanal touches from the kitchens to the bathrooms – exposed marble and sleek white cabinets in the kitchen complement the white bricks, bringing a calming glow through the living areas. The furniture further carries the palette in a homogenous touch, tying Xavier’s aesthetic full circle.

Charming wooden floors lead to nestled booths and picturesque sights. It leads from the living spaces open onto a north-facing lawn and an entertainment area with stone pavements and marble benches.

In the front, the main bedroom and bathroom give the parents a place of escape. Upstairs, the second floor propped as Xavier’s crown holds the children’s space with a sunny interior.

In combination with materiality, design and the soft tones of the palette, the owners and guests alike feel the artisanal weight of Bryant Aslop's ideas.

Project Details
Architects – Bryant Aslop Architects
Builder – Eastwood Building Co.
Photographer – Emily Bartlett

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Authentic materials star in this new Brisbane build

Posted: 05 Jun 2022 08:22 AM PDT

With a name inspired by its beautiful seaside location in Wellington Point, Darren James and Elissa Greer's new family home 'Bayview One' encapsulates the couple's love of modernism, simplicity and functionality. The vision for the design was to create a space that not only looked good, but was also liveable and practical – somewhere the couple's busy family could enjoy and call home.

As owners of esteemed interior design studio Darren James Interiors, Darren and Elissa took the lead in the design and build of Bayview One. With hundreds of renovations for their clients under their belt, this project was an opportunity to create something that reflected their own personal design aesthetic.

Austaron Surfaces used for Bayview One interiors

Taking a 'less is more' approach, this new build is highlighted by sleek finishes, modern materials, clean lines, and a neutral and light palette. Seeking a seamless and integrated look for Bayview One's interiors, Staron Solid Surface from Austaron Surfaces features prominently throughout the property, from the kitchen, scullery and study to the powder room, main bathroom and laundry.

Staron Solid Surface is a highly functional and beautiful mineral and acrylic surfacing material. It is known for its ability to create long and wide continuous surfaces with no open or conspicuous joins, and it can also be thermoformed into flowing curves or sculpted into any shape imaginable. These properties enable sinks and basins to be incorporated seamlessly into countertops, which was an important aspect of Bayview One's design brief. The material is also highly durable and low maintenance, which gave the designers peace of mind.

When the couple relocated their old home to a vacant block of land on the bay islands, the existing Staron Surface benchtops were able to be repurposed and re-joined on site. In that instance, Staron's ability to be easily re-worked for increased longevity is another attribute valued by Darren and Elissa. Standing up to the test of time in its first life and able to be easily removed, transported and reinstated for its second life.

Having had Staron Solid Surface in their previous kitchen, and seeing how well it held up to constant wear and tear by a family with young kids, Darren and Elissa went with the material once again for Bayview One's kitchen benchtops. The material is long-lasting, and easy to clean and bring back to life with a quick buff, making it the ideal choice for demanding interior applications.

In keeping with the home's light and bright neutral palette, the designers specified Staron Solid Surface in a Bright White colour with a matte finish. In the kitchen, this colour and finish maintained the all-white design of the island bench while the integrated kitchen sink completed the seamless look. With Staron, you can determine the gloss level of the product with the installer, which allowed the designers to achieve their required finish that complemented the Taubmans cotton sheets joinery throughout the home.

Staron Solid Surface is also used in Bayview One's Powder room and main bathroom. The custom-curved vanity top includes an integrated Staron Solid Surface basin. In fact, many of the soft curved ends and surfaces throughout the home are thanks to Staron's ability to be manufactured or thermoformed into almost any curved shape. Darren and Elissa have collaborated with Austaron for over 15 years, developing an affinity with the family-run company's approach to quality and service. Having worked with many different types of materials throughout their career, it is telling that the designers chose Staron Solid Surface for all worktop surfaces in their own home.