Curve Appeal
Melbourne-based WOWOWA Architecture aims to "celebrate Australian culture, the kitsch and a love of daffy colloquialisms translated into architectural ambition". This refreshing mission statement is best illustrated by this wonderfully whimsical house in the suburbs of Melbourne, sitting just on the right side of kitsch.
The architects claim to be inspired by geometric farm relics and tall brick water structures, but we suspect romantic images of ruined castles played an outsized role. The design of the house revolves around two-and-a-half turrets. The one at the front of the building houses a rumpus room on the ground floor and a study above, the latter opening out to a terrace above the garage. The middle turret forms a dramatic double-height dining room with a sweeping circular staircase leading to the study, living room and two bedrooms upstairs. The side of the staircase is made of vertical wooden panels with scallop-edged tops, a striking design feature which echoes the shape of the turrets and adds a large dose of whimsy.
The curvaceous theme continues into the open plan kitchen and living room, billed by the architects as a "deconstructed turret". This space is dominated by a concave wall which, with a dollop of imagination, could have been the external wall of a turret which might have once stood there. The wall is punctuated by a huge arched window with a curvy copper-faced canopy outside, which add to the visual appeal. The exposed brickwork and concrete floors create a reassuring sense of solidity, softened by bulbous furniture in jewel tones and bold graphic rugs.
They say an Englishman's home is his castle, but it clearly takes an imaginative Australian architectural practice to translate this into reality, in an ever so slightly daffy manner.
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WOWOWAProduct Inspiration
Cheer up your space with whimsically curvaceous furniture such as the Toadstool sofa from Missana, the Explorer side tables from BD Barcelona Design and the Vanilla Noir The Count cabinet from Scarlet Splendour.
Light up your space with organic shaped lights such as the Scraplight Drop suspension light from Graypants, the Agatha suspension light from LZF and the Dusk Dawn table light from Ghidini 1961.
Recreate the wood panelling effects of the Merri Creek house with the Scrapwood wallpaper from NLXL and go all out for curvaceous accessories with the Darkly mirror from Menu and the Sphere vase from 101 Copenhagen.
