Inspiration
Design
Mid Century Style is an extremely popular design execution for both new and renovated homes
This classic look has incredible longevity whilst still appearing relevant, so it’s no surprise that celebrity designer James Treble created a display home for Eden Brae Homes that spoke to the mid-century design elements and principles; The Kew 27.
The Inspiration
Original mid-century design was popular in the 1950s to ’60s. It’s simple lines and refined style has been reinterpreted through the decades ever since. A long-time favourite of James’, he was further inspired by a trip to Palm Springs, known for its celebration of Mid-Century design and decided to create a home that referenced the mixed textures of that era in a contemporary way.
The Kew 27 display home in Emerald Hills, NSW, has what is called a Fusion façade, mirroring the mid-century design trend of mixing materials to create interest and character.
“I really liked the wall set in front of the house with the highlight window,” Treble explains. “I saw a little nod to mid-century modern in that part, so I played with that, and added in the stonework, which is a cultured stone cladding.”
The design process
Treble says that when he designs a home, he likes to take a similar way to the approach of a novelist tackling a new book.
“After I have planned the exterior, it helps me start to build my character – almost like a novel,” he says. “Then I pick and choose from those elements to flow the theme inside. I start with the main floors, and I look at what that’s going to be, and flow it into bathrooms and then I start to put the layering of the cabinetry and the tapware and the door handles and the details that keep it together.”
The roof of the Kew 27 is Monier’s Concrete Horizon tile in colour Salt Spray, a lighter shade of grey that heralds a long-awaited move away from the charcoals and blacks of recent years.
The light-coloured tiles complement the mid-century aesthetic, which relies on using a feature element such as the stone façade to be the focus. Indeed, mid-century homes were almost overwhelmingly designed with tiled roofs, often with mixed pitches.
“I wanted this home to have a relaxed feeling,” Treble adds. “I see a huge influence of mid-century modern in Australian architecture in general. I really see the influence of our generation, who grew up watching the Brady Bunch, with the stone walls and a lot of mid-century elements. It just related really well to the Australian lifestyle.”
“I talk about the roof being like a large hat,” explains Treble. “When designing a house, I am aware of the texture on the roof, to not let it dominate the rest of the home, but still be a strong support for the exterior look. The roof choice is such an important decision when you’re designing a house.”
In the display home, Treble has teamed the light-coloured roof with the Truffle brick, from PGH Bricks’ Alfresco range, which is another grey tone. “The texture and the mortar with the off-white mortar just gave a little bit of character to help balance the tones in there,” he adds, “because really it is all about the hero of the façade being the cultured stone (the Dressed Fieldstone in Chardonnay from PGH Bricks), which dominates that front façade.”
“I think people underestimate the power of texture on a home – having texture throughout the finishes is really important to make it visually interesting, but still somehow calm.”