Canberra Colour Cookoff

Original Kitchen - Timber Lined Ceilings

Lining Boards to Dining/Kitchen Wall

Original Entry Cupboards with Lining Boards

Recently I've been working on a kitchen renovation in Canberra. The house is a fabulous 1960's Bill Batt designed home, largely in original condition. I wasn't familiar with Bill Batt prior to taking this job and there is little about him online, but he was the University Architect at ANU sometime around 1959 (please do shoot me an email if you have any additional info about Bill Batt as myself and the clients would be keen to learn more about him). The clients were keen to rework the kitchen to retain several of the key characteristics of the original interior design such as the beautiful timber lined ceilings and timber paneling in the entry, which I was more than enthusiastic about. I was also keen to design a kitchen that would have some Mid-Century qualities about it. As we were working remotely (i.e. me in Melbourne, the clients in Canberra) I used photoshop to render up my ideas for design and finishes. This is a great tool to communicate your 'vision' for a space and makes it easy to tweek the layout and materials as the design process unfolds. We did lots of options on this job and even though we were just working with freehand sketches, the clients found it really easy to picture the suggested colours and materials in their space. 

Stay tuned for completed pics on my other blog for RBID...

Whole Lotta Keswick

The house on Keswick Glen

I think 8 Keswick Glen, Greensborough is the biggest 70's house I have ever seen...!
The window proportions are interesting, the bathrooms are generous in size and there is heaps of potential to update this home without loosing the 'texture' of the existing materials that make it so warm and familiar.

Timber lined ceilings - you know how I love 'em! Balustrade could do with some help..

Pretty awesome built in bed?

Huge bathroom! - All images courtesy Darren Jones Greensborough

What a Looker!

Here's another small home for those just starting out (or scaling down) at 5/58b Looker Road, Montmorency. Similar in influence to the Merchant Builder homes in Rosanna, the exposed beams & raked timber lined ceilings give the rooms a greater sense of space. Replace the vertical blinds with contemporary roller blinds and give the kitchen and ceiling a lick of paint and you've got yourself of Modernist abode thats bang up to date!

Merchant Builder influence

Timber lined raked ceilings and lovely big windows and doors

Kitchen could be lifted with a new paint job - All images courtesy Darren Jones Real Estate.

Lord of Buckingham Drive

If you can't quite afford the impressive Banyule Homestead at 60-74 Buckingham Drive, Heidelberg....
 

Banyule Homestead - Image courtesy Jellis Craig

you might want to check out this other less expensive, slightly less impressive, but no less original home 60's/70's abode at 55 Buckingham Drive, Heidelberg. I've been watching this property and it has been on the market a while now - just waiting for the right person with the right 'vision' perhaps?

Street Appeal

Original Living Room!

Love the original timber paneling - Would even look great painted white! All images courtesy Miles Real Estate

Corrong Caught

During my hiatus I was also contacted by Paul who was researching Merchant Builders Homes in the area. He brought this fantastic original example at 7 Corrong Court, Eltham to my attention and suggested I include it on the blog. Although its from the later part of the 20th Century it certainly holds true to the principles and elements that were breaking ground in the 50's & 60's, where as a lot of homes in the 80's were more interested in being 'mock' period in style.

Classic Merchant Builders style

Merchant Signatures - Exposed beams & bricks, timber lined ceilings, fireplace and lots of windows

All images courtesy Fletchers Real Estate

Need A Von Nida

Recently sold in the Rosanna Elliston or Golflinks Estate is this great home at 14 Von Nida Crescent, Rosanna. I got talking to one of the neighbours at an inspection and I believe the home was built for a staff member at Merchant Builders around 1972. The architects may have been McGlashan Everist.

Von Nida Crescent Elevation

Amazing hardwood timber ceilings throughout

Lovely North facing Deck - All Images courtesy Fletchers Real Estate

The Name is Bonds...

I could handle that for a view!

Lower Plenty seems to have the most incredible properties! This little beauty at 141 Bonds Road, Lower Plenty is set on an acre and includes a tennis court and fabulous swimming pool and if the photographs are to be believed - one heck of a view of the city skyline!

A few retro pool lounges and colourful beach umbrellas would not look out of place here!

Cosy Lounge for Winter - Love the bluestone fireplace & timber lined ceilings!

I'm a sucker for brick floors too!

All images courtesy Morrison Kleeman Real Estate

 

Corowa Cool

Simplicity and refined style never dates. This is why I think this Fasham Johnston home at 58 Corowa Crescent Greensborough built in the 80's/90's still looks as cool today as it did the day it was built. And I bet its fabulous to live in too - with North facing living areas, timber lined ceilings throughout and in-slab heating. I'm kinda wondering why I didn't see it sooner!

Modern kitchen - still holds up today

Oh Ah - Timber lined ceilings!

Bathroom - Simplicity never dates!

Classic Fasham Johnson - Images courtesy Kate Donaldson RE Hurstbridge

Devlin the Detail

MR went to check out another pocket sized home at 9 Devlin Court, Rosanna last week.
Located in the Golf Links Estate, it has the Merchant Builder stamp all over it.

Oh I do love a dark exterior paint colour to contrast with brickwork!

Timber Ceiling - tick.  Fireplace - tick.

Images courtesy Miles Real Estate

 

Marvellous Margaret

Approach from Margaret Street

Big thanks to Siri for drawing my attention to this fantastic house at 26 Margaret Avenue Montmorency. I always love listening to RRR's radio subscriber-thon and it seems like a lot of their listener base is out at Monty these days. It had been years since I had been there so on Saturday MR(who is afterall, a Monty High alumni) and I decided it was time for a re-visit to Were Street including the Secondhand Shop and this rather exciting house.

Dining area

Open breakfast bar to kitchen - One of my favourite parts of the house!

Designed by one of the founding architects of Clarke Hopkins Clark and built in 1965 the house is in excitingly original condition. The only addition is a large family/rumpus area that is built on to the Western side of the house in a sympathetic style. There are so many design elements to love in this house. The timber lined ceilings are just beautiful. Then there is the open plan kitchen in pure white laminate, the original light fittings, the amazing purple-red bricks, the huge North facing windows, the bedrooms with original cork boards and desk and the original bathrooms. I also noticed this great detail where the extra tall interior doors are painted a dark colour, as is the fixed panel above - making the doors seem as though they are full height. There is also the very spacious garden afforded to a home on a 2921sqm block.

The 'Good Room' - Formal lounge room complete with built in bar and open fireplace.

High room doors with fixed panel above - Original cork board, lighting & timber lined ceilings.

Master bedroom with original (?) silver wallpaper. All images courtesy Morrison Kleeman

 You could have knocked me over with a feather when the agent said she was expecting the price to be somewhere in the $800,000's! I guess that's about right for a small-ish original house in the suburbs but it sounds pretty darn good value to me!